Dear blogreaders, here’s hoping you end 2011 in good spirits and you have started making magnificent plans for 2012! May it be a year full of musical discoveries. I leave you with a taste of nostalgia, my favourite 50 songs of 2011 in a Spotify playlist. Enjoy.

Adele – Rumour Has It

Arctic Monkeys – Don’t Sit Down ‘Cause I’ve Moved Your Chair

Ben Howard – The Wolves

Beyoncé – Run The World (Girls)

The Black Keys – Lonely Boy

Bombay Bicycle Club – Shuffle

Bon Iver – Holocene

Cloud Control – Gold Canary

Danger Mouse  – Two Against One (feat. Jack White)

Das Racist – Girl

De Jeugd Van Tegenwoordig – Sexy Beesten

Death Cab for Cutie – You Are A Tourist

The Decemberists – Don’t Carry It All

Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros – Home

Elbow – Lippy Kids

Emeli Sandé – Heaven

Fleet Foxes – Helplessness Blues

Florence + The Machine – What The Water Gave Me

Foster The People – Pumped Up Kicks

Friendly Fires – Hawaiian Air

Gotye – Somebody That I Used To Know (feat. Kimbra)

James Blake – The Wilhelm Scream

Jay Z, Kanye West, Frank Ocean – No Church In The Wild

Joe Goddard – Gabriel

Katy B – Witches Brew

Kings Of Leon – Back Down South

Kurt Vile – Baby’s Arms

Lady Gaga – Born This Way

Lana Del Rey – Video Games

Little Dragon – Ritual Union

Lykke Li – I Follow Rivers (The Magician Remix)

M83 – Midnight City

Metronomy – The Bay

The Naked And Famous – Young Blood

Other Lives – For 12

Radiohead – Lotus Flower

Raphael Saadiq – Radio

Real Estate – It’s Real

Rihanna – S&M

Robyn – Call Your Girlfriend

SBTRKT – Hold On (feat. Sampha)

Seasick Steve – You Can’t Teach An Old Dog New Tricks

Smith Westerns – Weekend

Tyler, The Creator – Sandwitches f/Hodgy Beats

The Vaccines – Wetsuit

Warpaint – Elephants

Wolf Gang – Lions In Cages

Wye Oak – Civilian

Young the Giant – My Body

Yuck – Get Away

I feel a bit like Alice in Wonderland being hurried along by the white rabbit who keeps telling me I’m late, late, late! While all The Blogs have published their best ofs in early December, I am still scrubbing paint from my finger nails in the last stages of renovating my house.

Scouting for good new music hasn’t been high on my agenda the last few months. Thanks to my contractor and his tone-deaf but talented workmen I have had an endless stream of David Guetta, Bruno Mars, Maroon 5, LMFAO and Sean-da-bloody-Paul poured down my ear canal.  All the more reason to sit down and recap what were the real musical gems I did come across these last few days of the year.

10. Lykke Li – Wounded Rhymes

Lykke is no longer a little bit in love, she is in charge and whoever is the object of her affection had better be ware for the girl means business. She’s your prostitute & she’s gon’ get some.

9. Bon Iver – Bon Iver

This one took some time to win me over, in no small part due to the extremely wishy washy lyrics. But the songs get me all the same, with gems like Michicant that wrap you up in a warm blanket and put you in front of the log fire with a hot toddy.

8. Other Lives – Tamer Animals

I got hooked on this album after hearing the spaced out dreamscape that is For 12, with its perfectly matched astronautical video. Luckily the almost fragile beauty of this song wasn’t a one-off, Tamer Animals is a gorgeous album.

7. The Vaccines – What Did You Expect From The Vaccines?

On a bad day, the quickest way to perk up my spirits would be to stick on Wetsuit by The Vaccines. And then If You Wanna. And then Norgaard. And then, well, you get the idea.

6. Metronomy – The English Riviera

Another album that quietly snuck in to my top 10, but is now undeniably in a firm sixth position. I didn’t really get Metronomy before, but The English Riviera has a mellow but thoughtful summery feel to it I find irresistible.

5. James Blake – James Blake

James Blake would have to be the first artist whose name I had read about 500 times through every single social interweb exit before I even heard a single note of his work. It was the day Limit To Your Love was released, and as we all know, indie pandemonium ensued. Quite rightly so. This album shakes you to your core, both emotionally and physically if you have the right sound system.

4. Fleet Foxes – Helplessness Blues

How rare is it these days to find an album that just makes you happy from start to finish? Beautiful opening track Montezuma sets the tone and the album doesn’t disappoint from there on in. I played it to my mom when we went on a trip together and she instantly hummed along as if it was an old favourite album of hers from back in the days, brought a big smile to my face.

3. Wye Oak – Civilian

I can’t believe I haven’t seen this album make the cut of the big 2011 lists, it’s such a thrilling, honest and moving little beaut! Title track Civilian gives me goose bumps every single time, and the suppressed tension of Holy, Holy makes me want to ride super high roller coasters just like in the video. It’s Beach House with more bite, and it’s delicious.

2. Radiohead – The King of Limbs

What? Brokenbranches, named after Radiohead, positioned a Radiohead album in mere second position?! Yes. After a long hard talk with myself in the name of honest journalism I have come to the conclusion that it is only fair. Although I gobbled up every minute of TKOL many many times over and rejoice in its ever quirkier rhythms on tracks like Feral, in Thoms genius Lotus Flower spasm-dance, in the glorious glow of Codex and the old school Radioheadness of Little By Little, they all got outplayed by the undeniable number one:

1. Elbow – Build a Rocket Boys

Maybe it’s because I’m getting older. Sure I listened to SBTRKT, Skrillex and Wu Lyf this year, all amazing albums in their own right. But when it comes to what really moves me I find it’s becoming more and more simple the older I get. A good honest popsong with lyrics from the heart, that’s all I really want. This description is probably what had me avoid Elbow for years and years previously. I condemned them for being ‘rather mushy’. That’s a load of bollocks looking back. Elbow have mastered the art of real, heartfelt songs delivered without any pretension to a tee and Build a Rocket Boys is crammed with them. The only really mushy thing is me at their concerts, welling up at every other song.

Listen to my favourite albums of 2011 in this Spotify playlist (sadly without the Wye Oak album).

If there are still any regular visitors of this neglected bit of interweb left (hi and thank you!), they will have noticed a severe lack of content over the last months. Rather than apologising I shall point the finger of blame shamelessly at the blog Lowlove.nl, where I have been contributing my two cents on everything and anything to do with the Lowlands festival. Which has been rather wonderful.

But seen as Lowlands took place last weekend (I have just barely been able to scrape the mud and dust off my aching body), it is high time to inject brokenbranches with some reviews! Here’s a day by day roundup.

FRIDAY

To kick off Lowlands 2011 I went to see the wonderfully sultry Anna Calvi, who delivered her seductive roars while cradling her guitar close to her chest. It was all a bit too spacious and spun out to really captivate me musically (more suited to a Tarantino soundtrack as a friend of mine noted), but miss Calvi is a sight to be seen all the same and a few songs really did hit the mark.

In the new festival lay out I walked the longest stretch of terrain all the way from India to Charlie stage to catch the indie pop creations of Wolf Gang. Although the set definitely leant heavily on the few singles, the supremely catchy Lions In Cages in particular, it was an enjoyable show overall with plenty of light-hearted pop goodness. The gold earring sporting guitarist seemed to be having the time of his life at least, singer McElligott was a bit harder to gage.

Next up were the prodigal sons of Dutch hiphop, De Jeugd Van Tegenwoordig, who were finally allowed to take seat in the throne of Lowlands: the Alpha stage. They pimped up their act with ballerinas and a horn section, but in all honesty those weren’t necessary to have the entire tent jumping up and down and singing along to every word for an entire hour. Each member was allowed their moment to shine in the second half of the set, but it never dragged on too long before Bas Bron threw on the next beat to keep the crowd entertained. It was a seemingly effortless homerun of a show. The next two days the line ‘Waar is het feestje? Hier is het feestje!’ (Where is the party? Here is the party!) was heard throughout the festival.

Not as cheeky but definitely as danceable were the synth dripping songs that Friendly Fires served up in the newly positioned Bravo tent. These boys definitely know how to pull the stops out in a live show and the new songs fitted right in. Although I was standing at the back all around me were happy faced girls shaking their hips, their male companions awkwardly attempting some form of appropriate movement. The Pala visuals on the screens were beautiful too, but I would say Friendly Fires are best enjoyed in a small sweaty venue.

Speaking of sweaty venues, my Lowlands theory is that you should see at least one act in the boiling X-Ray cauldron a day, as it is usually filled with pleasant surprises. I wanted to see Japanese act Trippple Nippples from an arthouse freakshow perspective, wondering if it really was as bizarre as I thought. The answer is yes, it was as bizarre and then some, with the singers prancing around in diapers, white duct tape boobcoverage and glowing wings, but combined with the thrashing electro screamfest they produced it actually worked really well.

I wandered over to Noah and the Whale for a little while but I couldn’t really get into the music. A guy behind me said “there’s a lot of suppressed tension but it’s not coming out” which seems a good analysis. The understated Lou Reed style singing of Charlie Fink became monotonous after a while and failed to hold my attention. Many young girls wearing jeans hotpants and Ray Bans were having the time of their lives though. I decided to try The Naked And Famous in stead, but the tent was so packed I couldn’t get in, same story for Beardyman. Seems you really have to get to the smaller tents like India and X-Ray well on time these days.

Luckily there was still loads of space in the Grolsch at the start of Fleet Foxes, but they managed to fill it up in no time with their warm folky glow of goodness. I was worried if their sometimes delicate sound would hold up in the big tent, but the band were on a roll and played a great festival set. Sometimes they would churn out a few songs back to back, one flowing into the other, really keeping the energy high. Pecknold was giving it his all, with his eyes closed and tilted head almost hanging from the microphone stand. This was definitely the highlight of festival Friday for me.

Time to close the festival day with all my friends gathered round, no better place to be than at the laid back Lima stage with Edward Sharpe and his Magnetic Zeros. It was chaotic on stage with 10 people joining in, making for a bit of a messy performance that dragged on somewhat here and there, not helped by Sharpe’s vocals being hardly audible for most of the gig. There were a few songs that stood out but it was plain to see that everyone was there for the flower power finale Home. Everyone joined in from opening line Alabama, Arkansas and made the most of it, but it could have been so much more.

SATURDAY

First band of the day for me was Young The Giant, with a performance like the one they gave a few months ago at the Walk The Line festival in The Hague: solid, energetic, polished and ready for the rock arenas of Europe. Nothing wrong with that, sometimes you don’t want wholesome leafy greens for dinner, you just fancy a juicy fast food burger and chips that will hit the spot. And what better festival anthem than My Body?

My expectations were high for Bombay Bicycle Club, but I left the India stage feeling distinctly underwhelmed. The performance lacked energy and drive, was a bit all over the place and the indie magic I was hoping for was nowhere to be found. I would definitely give them another chance in a club show though, there’s plenty of gems on those records.

After I was lucky enough to get a back stage tour of the festival (Guy Garvey waved at me! *swoon*), I felt a craving for some Syrian house beats and so I headed over to the X-Ray sauna for Omar Souleyman. Strange how an act with zero stage presence (a bored looking synth player and Souleyman himself, aloof with his mirrored sunglasses and the occasional hand gesture) and lyrics hardly anyone can make out can cause such a frenzy in its onlookers. There were quite a few people who donned tea towel head dresses for the occasion and there was a lot of yelping and shaking going on, the nervy thumping Arabian sounds worked like a dance virus and infected all present. Jalla jalla!

After the disappointment of BBC earlier in the day I was a bit hesitant what Cloud Control would deliver on the same spot, but the complete opposite happened. Here’s a band that I only know two songs of, but captivated me the entire set. None of this quietly cool indie jingle jangle, this band is came in for the win, guitars amped up and ready to go. The perfect soundtrack to the end of a sunny Saturday afternoon. Also quite funny to hear loads of people singing they want to buy a gold canary.

We stayed at the India stage lounging around in the grass outside during Cage The Elephant. Obviously not the best way to enjoy their music, which you should probably consume while moshing fiercely or crowdsurfing, but I enjoyed it all the same. You could feel the manic energy well outside the tent, with a roaring crowd to boot. I was attempting to save some energy for the next stop, must be getting old…

Making sure to get to the majestic Alpha stage in plenty of time to get in the front section, it was time to get ready for the last band of the day: Elbow. I had been hyping up this show to my friends for ages, promising a lovefest of epic proportions, a joining together of hands and voices of all present. Big promises to make, but somehow I was completely sure it would turn out this way, and I am glad to report that it did.

Guy Garvey has the magic ability to have a multitude of thousands eating out of his hand from the moment he sets foot on stage. Guys want to join him in the pub for a pint, girls want to crawl into his arms and be safe and loved by this smooth voiced teddy bear. I myself have only been converted to the church of Elbow recently and stood in awe at the ease and confidence with which the band slowly builds a set that ends in a euphoric climax of togetherness. I see how a non believer (as I was until last year) might vomit in their face a bit reading all this luvvy duvvy goo goo talk, but it is the best way I can describe it.

When Garvey asks if everyone is alright, when he gets the people inside and outside of the tent to great each other, when he says that we’re going to do festival things together and gets everyone to raise their hands and wiggle their fingers, he is walking the thin line of cheesiness. But he gets away with it easily because he, and the entire band, are so goddamn down to earth and likable. When the obvious closing song One Day Like This sets in and we all sing ‘One day like this a year would see me right‘, I look around to see little pools of water brimming in the eyes of most of the people standing there. Elbow understands the need for uplifting pop songs in times of chainsaw dubstep noise and I welcome it.

SUNDAY

Sunday was a horribly humid, sticky day and I think it did De Staat no favours. They were the second band on the bill in the massive Alpha tent, which had a fair amount of people in but very spaced out. There were loads of people hanging around on the grass outside like zombies, probably exhausted from 2 previous days partying and the heat. However, you wouldn’t be able to tell from the performance of the band who rocked it regardless, frontman Torre strutting his rock moves and belting out their hits. The set took a bit of a nosedive towards the end, but the short cover of Snoop’s Drop It Like It’s Hot going into the majestic Sweat Shop was a high light for me.

I decided to skip the frenetic stylings of Crystal Fighters to check out Other Lives at the Charlie stage and was not disappointed. Wonderfully mellow dreamy pop songs drifted across the stretch of water to the bridge where I sat listening, completely contented. This is a band I would love to see in a small venue, hopefully they will head this way again soon. Across the way The Roots started up, their soulful funky hiphop sound a welcome change from most of the Lowlands lineup. Sadly I had to leave early and missed my old-time favourite You Got Me, but they tore up the stage from the opening minutes so I’m guessing it was a stomper of a set.

Still in a hiphop mood I headed over to Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All a bit later, anxious to see if they would bring down the Bravo tent, get taken off stage for indecent behaviour or encouraging kids to crowdsurf or anything else remotely dangerous. None of that happened, it was a surprisingly polite affair with Tyler The Creator even thanking the Dutch audience for being so great and hugging every single security guy at the end of the show.  This is not to say the gig was boring, the energy on stage was incredible. Tyler himself hardly held back by the fact his leg was in a cast, jumping and cycling (!) all over the place ignoring his specially placed bar stool most of the time. Not everyone in the extensive OFWGKTA crew managed to wow the crowd and the gig was a bit messy at times, but nobody in the front seemed to care. One guy whose face was bleeding after a mosh pit encounter came right back after being patched up to mosh on some more, that’s dedication.

After the manic mayhem of the Odd Future gang I was in need of some soothing sounds, and who better to dish them up than the ethereal ladies of Warpaint? Stretched out in the grass, the waves of dark psychedelic harmonies and spaced out guitars made for a pleasant drug free trip in the late afternoon. So much so I almost drifted off to sleep, though festival fatigue was probably to blame for that.

Right, back on my feet for some dancing moves I was off to see Lykke Li, whose second album I have played many a time over the last few months. I was all set to go, but found the first twenty minutes very bland and stand offish. Lykke seemed a million miles away in her own artistic black bubble, mumbling through her songs. I was almost about to leave when all of a sudden there was a major turnaround in energy. Two big drums featured centre stage and woke everyone up with some thundering percussion and from then on Lykke got her groove and so did the audience. We were treated to crowd pleaser I Follow Rivers, a version of Youth Knows No Pain with a sample from Kanye Wests’s Power, a bit of The Knife’s Silent Shout, and of course Get Some to top it all of.

There was some more drama to be enjoyed over at the Charlie stage with Wild Beasts, where singer Hayden Thorpe expressed his gratitude to the people there for choosing them over the likes of Aphex Twin (“we’ll show those electro people how it’s done!”). Wild Beasts seem out of place at the Charlie stage with a few albums already under their belt, so it’s a nice privilege to see them up close and personal. Their music can come off a bit cool and posh sometimes, but their set remained interesting in large part thanks to the variation in vocals between Thorpe’s lofty voice and guitarist Tom Fleming’s unexpected husky warm sound. Definitely another band I would be interested to see more of.

The final bands of the final festival night jostled for position, but I wasn’t in any mood for the dated punk pop greatest hits of The Offspring or the dark and uncomfortable beats of legendary Aphex Twin. In stead we opted for an plain and simple party to end this wonderful weekend, and that’s exactly what CQMD (Ceux Qui Marchent Debout) were dishing out at the Lima stage. This happy bunch from Paris brought lots of horn, lots of funk and plenty oom-pah-pah that had everybody shaking their groove thang (or dancing like your embarrassing uncle). They even took the entire band off stage to play a few songs in the middle of the audience. Lima is the place to be at the end of the festival as far as I’m concerned!

ROUNDUP

This was the seventh Lowlands festival I attended and it won’t go down in the books as most memorable or most impressive edition by a long shot. Aside from Elbow and perhaps Fleet Foxes there were no extreme highlights, astounding surprises or overwhelming discoveries to be made. Overall it was a mellow, relaxed weekend for me. Not to say it was a bad edition at all, I wasn’t bored for a moment and there was plenty of great music to be enjoyed. Hopefully next year the organisation will have a few more gems touring Europe at the end of August to choose from, to add that extra bit of sheen to an already wonderful festival.

Today was the day you could finally get your greedy mits on the real deal: the physical tangible huggable edition of Radiohead’s latest album The King Of Limbs. And if you were lucky enough to be near one of the selected major cities you could have scored the free newspaper that accompanied the release too: The Universal Sigh. If you missed out on this little presie from the Oxford boys, or like me you’re waiting for a copy somebody went to get for you, you can check out the contents at Kicking The Habit. Just like the album’s artwork, the atmosphere of the paper reminds me of the poster standing at the foot of my bed (yes really) from the Amnesiac era: we are back to the ominous and inevitable threat of ‘something’ ghastly.

It’s been well over a month now since the band released the download version of the album, and I was astonished by the lightening speed with which the online community devoured it, analysed it, reviewed it, reinterpreted it and moved on. Even before it was released you could read a hilarious review over at Viceland, on the day itself there were ‘in depth reviews’ popping up left right and centre within hours, a band called Robotanists managed to cover the entire album in 1 day, and soon you could watch Thom Yorke dancing to Beyonce, Zorba The Greek, and auditioning for Black Swan.

I decided I wanted to spend a bit more time with the album. And so, over the last month, I got to know it better, took it for walks and bike rides, and even took it to bed once or twice. Now that we are well acquainted I can officially say: we might have a bit of a thing going on. When we just started hanging out its jerky rhythms and off kilter melodies (In Bloom, Lotus Flower and most of all Feral) were an instant attraction. When the initial lust wore off, I went looking for the heart and soul of it. It told me fragile stories of loves won and lost in Give Up The Ghost and the pleasantly familiar ring of Little By Little. When we finally bared all to each other, I was rewarded with the breathtaking Codex.

The King Of Limbs might not be my first or even The One, but for now, let’s just say we are enjoying each other’s company very much.

Let me know what you think! What songs have I unforgivably left out?

30. Katy Perry

Teenage Dream

[insert shriek of outrage here]
Yes, I love this song. It’s just a perfectly crafted poptastic happy singalong and I’m guessing it was inspired by Perry’s blossoming romance with British bad boy Russell Brand. “I’ma get your heart racing in my skin-tight jeans be your teenage dream tonight”

29. Moss

I Apologise (Dear Simon)

A gorgeous jingle jangle song with hand claps and singalong aaahhhhs, and from Holland no less! It got played to death on the radio, but it hasn’t bored me yet.

28. Two Door Cinema Club

Something Good Can Work

A peppy summer popsong from these young Northern Irish lads, picked from an album jam packed with happy go lucky energetic songs for bright and sunny days. It may not be deep and meaningful, but who reads Dostoyevsky every day?

27. Mark Ronson & The Business Intl

The Bike Song

Bit of a slow burner for me this one, but such an endearing little song. The video perfectly portrays the sugar coated happiness of just riding around on your bike, checking out the local talent. Love Spank Rock’s mumbled little rap too: “I run around town, around round the town, with the pedal to the me… the pedal to whatever”

26. Jack Parow

Cooler As Ekke

In the toss up between Parrow and fellow South African group Die Antwoord it’s the long cap wearing laid back rapper that wins in the long run. Die Antwoord has high impact bizarre appeal, but it wears thin after a while. Cooler As Ekke is a witty introduction to the SA-soundwave that hit our shores this year.

25. Martin Solveig feat. Dragonette

Hello

It might be a bit manic in its upness, but very addictive too. Dragonette’s innocently cooed lyrics are perfectly suited to this bouncy song.

24. Blaudzun

Quiet German Girls

For me this one works even better together with the video, how captivating to watch beautiful women scream silently to this song!

23. Laura Marling

Rambling Man

It could have gone either way with Laura Marling after her promising if somewhat shaky debut, but thankfully she stayed true to herself and made a confident and more well rounded second album. This is my favourite track, a folky ballad. “But give me to a rambling man, let it always be known that I was who I am”

22. Cee Lo Green

It’s OK

What a joy of a record Cee Lo made, it’s just uncomplicated goodness, but very clever at the same time. It’s Ok is a funky, upbeat song with a nice luvvy duvvy message for the holiday season: “It’s ok, to say that you love me”

21. Faberyayo & Vic Crezée

Uniform

Faberyayo, known from De Jeugd Van Tegenwoordig and side project Le Le, dropped a rather amazing mix tape called Het Grote Gedoe with Vic Crezée online earlier this year. Just a little free download, like it were nothing. Just goes to show his amazing creativity and broad scope, this boy is going places (two places in my top 30 for instance).

20. LCD Soundsystem

I Can Change

LCD at their eighties synth best, its got Eurythmics written all over it (Love Is A Stranger), but in a proper tribute sort of way. You’d almost believe James Murphy when he promises “I can change I can change I can change, if it helps you fall in love”

19. Janelle Monae

Tightrope

Not moving is not an option, tap them toes people! Janelle Monae is this year’s breath of fresh air in the pre-programmed R&B landscape, she doesn’t fit in any standard boxes and it works for her. As does the look. “When you get elevated, they love it or they hate it”

18. Adele

Rolling In The Deep

Adele is back and in the two years since her debut album it sounds like she’s been listening to a lot of White Stripes and blues, good choice! We get her soulful voice with a bit of a raw edge to the song, works like a charm. “Think of me in the depths of your despair”

17. The New Pornographers

Crash Years

The New Pornographers have produced a great record this year and Crash Years sums up all that is great about the band. Plus it had the unbeatable Neko Case on vocals, can’t go wrong with her. “Honey child you’re not safe here”

16. The Third Twin

Technolers

Could it be? Is this really Daft Punk in disguise, dodging their Tron publishing restraints? It sure does sound like it! Their album Homemade is much more satisfying for Daft Punk fans than the Tron soundtrack, which is good but, well, soundtracky.

15. Broken Social Scene

Meet Me In The Basement

The only completely instrumental track on the album, but one of the most attention grabbing and exciting all the same. It makes me want to get up and start a protest movement. Any cause will do.

14. De Jeugd Van Tegenwoordig

Sexy Beesten

The brutal beat, the trademark Jeugd lyrics and most of all Wiwa’s auto tuned rap at 2:35, “Kijk in de spiegel bitch je bent magnifique!”

13. Hot Chip

I Feel Better

It’s as simple as this, “when you hold me, I feel better”. And to celebrate this glorious fact Hot Chip called in the assistance of a steel drum band at Glastonbury, stroke of genius.

12. Foals

Blue Blood

Such a heartfelt song and one of Foals’ best yet. The boy in the video is also all kinds of awesome. “You showed me. Where to go. To my home.”

11. The National

Bloodbuzz Ohio

2010 is the year I started to understand what The National is about. I have the feeling I’m not quite there yet, but Bloodbuzz Ohio is without doubt one of the finest songs of the year. “I still owe money, to the money, to the money I owe”

10. Yeasayer

Ambling Alp

A lot of what Yeasayer does and sings remains a complete mystery to me, take the song title Ambling Alp for instance, but I do know I find this psychedelic weirdness irresistible. “You must stick up for yourself son, never mind what anybody else done”

9. Lady Gaga feat. Beyonce

Telephone (vevo clip, sorry)

There is no denying the genius in the madness of  Lady Gaga. Last year she had gay choirs and glee clubs all over the world singing Bad Romance, this year she teamed up with Beyonce for one of the catchiest songs of 2010. “Should’ve left my phone at home cause this is a disaster!”

8. Caribou

Sun

An intoxicating dizzy trip of a song, addictively pulsating and hypnotising you with it’s simple mantra: “sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun…”

7. Kanye West

Monster

Only Kanye gets away with mashing his royal rap highness Jay-Z, log cabin troubadour Bon Iver and outrageous Nicki Minaj on one track and making it the most accomplished on the album. “I’ma need to see your fuckin hands at the concert!”

6. Villagers

I Saw The Dead

The most eerie and haunting song on Villager’s debut album, but then it is about a room with dead people. “You take the torso, and I’ll take the head”

5. Beach House

Zebra

Soothing, comforting and warm, and as a bonus it’s about a beautiful zebra. You didn’t know you needed a song about a zebra in your life, but it turns out you do. Beach House doesn’t avoid the weird, but it works out wonderfully. “Don’t I know you, better than the rest?”

4. James Blake

Limit To Your Love

Such precision and delicate delivery from a 21 year old, it’s almost hard to believe. James Blake takes this Feist song to a whole new level, darker, deeper and more exciting. His album leaked this week and I suggest you all hit download ASAP!

3. Local Natives

Airplanes

This song really struck a chord with me. It remembers a lost loved one in such a sweet and honest way, almost child like. Maybe it was even written from a child’s perspective and that’s why it works so well, judge for yourselves. “I love it all, so much I call, I want you back”

2. Robyn

Dancing On My Own

This is Robyn’s year and Dancing On My Own is the juicy cherry on her Body Talk pie. It’s a mystery to me you don’t see or hear more Robyn on (M)tv and radio, surely this album will appeal to masses of people? As she puts it herself: “I’m right over here, why can’t you see me?”

1. Arcade Fire

Rococo

From the menacing opening notes you immediately know this is one of The Suburbs’ key songs. Thom Yorke would say: something big is gonna happen. And it does. Win Butler rips the tragic hipster culture to pieces in this intelligent and harrowing anthem.  “Oh my dear god what is that horrible song they’re singing”

LINKS

This top 30 and some of the runners up in a Spotify playlist.

This top 30 in a YouTube playlist.

This year I’m changing the top 10 albums approach. Usually it turns into this tormented process in which I weigh many complicated and mysterious factors to select and order the nominees. Something like {(personal preference + indie coolness + critical credibility) / commercial sell out index} – predictability rating = ranking score. This year I have thrown all Pitchforkian considerations to the wind and gone with the gut! Partly with this funny & succinct blog post on top tens in mind.

To put it nice and simple, only the albums that moved me the most in 2010 have made the cut. A few have moved me literally, urging me onto the dance floor, some have warmed the cockles of my heart with their melodious deliciousness, others brought a delicate tear to the corner of my eye. One thing is for sure, they have all had many many repeat spins on my ipod.

10. Caribou - Swim

I would not consider myself well versed in the world of electronica, but this terrific album obviously reached even a lay person as myself due to its cleverly crafted crossover appeal. It deserves mention for the two standout singles Odessa and Sun alone, but there is much more to discover. The hypnotic trip that is Bowls for in stance, and the poppy track Hannibal with its old school Phoenix vibe. For me though, Sun has got to be one of the best songs of 2010, in addition to winning the award for most minimalistic lyrics.

9. Kanye West – My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

The incredible amount of raving press this album has received in the last three weeks almost made me want to ignore it, but what a waste that would have been! Kanye is back. He lost me after College Dropout and Late Registration, but he sure put those hamster cheeks to good use on My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.  So much has been written already, but for me its brilliance is in the diversity, accessible yet innovative beats and production and last but definitely not least: a cast of amazing guest vocalists. Kanye knows he’ll never be Jay-Z, but he can get him to drop some lines and lift a track to a higher level.

8. Foals - Total Life Forever

It’s great to see Foals are still upping their game. Total Life Forever may be a bit less frantic and dancy, but it has made way for a more diverse style, more room for experiment and more catchy mid tempo tunes. In a way it’s a diesel train of an album. You might be lured in by the jumpy drum driven lead single This Orient and then be won over by the raw emotion of Blue Blood or the slow burning repetitive mantras of Spanish Sahara. I am still discovering new corners and side alleys on this album.

7. Hot Chip - One Life Stand

Hot Chip doesn’t dilly dally or beat around the bush. They know what it’s all about: love, synth nerds need it as much as anyone. And so on One Life Stand they set out to pay tribute to the subject in all its guises, and they have the perfect beats and grooves to do the job. You cannot help but smile when Alexis Taylor sings “I’ve known for a long time, you are my love life” in Hand Me Down Your Love, or “We have love, give it up give it up, there is nothing else to be proud of” (We Have Love). And besides smile you must dance. Hot Chip insists.

6. De Jeugd van Tegenwoordig - De Lachende Derde

Yes, in the brokenbranches top ten it is entirely possible that a Dutch hiphop release ranks higher than Kanye’s megalomanic ‘record of the decade’, and for good reason. DJVT have taken their characteristic combination of incredibly sharp and witty lyrics, making up a whole new vocabulary along the way, with Bas Bron’s supreme beatsmanship to another level on De Lachende Derde, their third release. There’s the silliness you would expect in songs like the winning single Sterrenstof and Get Spanish (don’t be fooled though, silly but shrewd as hell). But the youth is growing up too, as can be heard in Zo Volwassen, Zo Beleefd and tear jerker Huilend Naar De Club. Most exciting of all there are some proper dance floor stompers like Sexy Beesten and Elektrotechnique I can’t wait to hear in the club.

5. Broken Social Scene - Forgiveness Rock Record

I’ve had a thing for BSS for quite some time now, but somehow they have always remained a bit elusive to me, just out of reach. Perhaps not so strange considering the band is constantly shape shifting. But I’ve really been able to sink my teeth into Forgiveness Rock Record and now I get it. It’s official, they have made it into the ‘favourite bands’ category you’d list on an online profile page. I like everything about this album, the way some songs gently meander (Sweetest Kill, Highway Slippery Jam), others amp up the drama (anthem in the making World Sick and the majestic instrumental Meet Me In The Basement) and how it brings together magical guest contributions like Amy Millan, Feist and personal favourite Emily Haines on Sentimental X’s.

4. Beach House - Teen Dream

Zebra, what a song to open an album with. The mysterious name alone will make you curious, then you’re welcomed with a friendly guitar tune, soothing aaaahhhhhs and Victoria Legrand huskily asking you “Don’t I know you better than the rest?”. It makes you wish it was true. I’m at a loss to pick songs to highlight on Teen Dream, there is such a bounty to choose from. From the woeful wailing of Silver Soul to the light and airy beauty of Norway, the melancholy piano driven Used To Be and Take Care‘s heart breaking lyric “I’ll take care of you, if you ask me to”.

3. Local Natives - Gorilla Manor

Now it’s getting serious, top three time. Let’s just get those two words out of the way first: Fleet Foxes. Yes, Local Natives have had a good listen to their west coast peers, but in my opinion they have masterfully blended americana and folk influences with a hearty dollop of indie and pop sensitivity and have come up trumps with this extremely accomplished debut album. There is a remarkable number of quality hook-laden singalongs like Wide Eyes, World News, Shape Shifter and Talking Heads cover Warning Sign. And let’s not forget the moving single Airplanes, about a son who misses his mother. Go see them live too, such a nice and talented bunch!

PS Just found out this album was already released in november of 2009! Oh well, I only discovered it this year, allow me one cheat…

2. Arcade Fire - The Suburbs

Well, no surprise for any brokenbranches regulars, this one was bound to end up in my top 3. A stroll through blogville and twittland have taught me it is apparently uncool to list this album for your top ten as it is too predictable a pick and ‘not that good’. Well, I beg to differ! This is the album Arcade Fire have been aiming for over the last years, the soundtrack of a generation. It is the perfect culmination of years of pent up suburban boredom, having to grow up, longing for days gone by and fear of what is to come, clinging to those you want close to you in the face of approaching ugliness. The Suburbs is therefore the perfect opening song and album title, moving straight into the excitement of Ready To Start. Other album highlights include the haunting Rococo, a real showcase of Win’s growing confidence and ability as a frontman, We Used To Wait and Deep Blue. It might take you longer to let The Suburbs into your heart than Funeral or Neon Bible, but it’s a keeper.

1. Robyn - Body Talk Pt. 1

The number one slot is even a bit of a surprise to me, but so deserved. I have played Robyn’s first Body Talk release to death! For anyone who hasn’t noticed yet: the days that Robyn was a mainstream poppy R&B chart girl are long gone. Her 2005 self titled release saw a definite turn in her career and the Body Talk trilogy has sealed the deal: make way for Robyn the electropop hiphop dancehall queen. I could have gone for the final of the three releases which combines most of Body Talk Part 1 & 2, but I think the first one stands out on its own.
Dancing on My Own is easily one of the best songs of the year, and the super-disco-sexy Röyksopp co-production The Girl And The Robot will stick in your head for days. Part 1 has the acoustic version of Hang With Me, which holds it’s own and turns into Part 2′s standout track in the electronic version. Dance Hall Queen and None Of Dem show off Robyn’s sassy side, and I was able to witness in Paradiso she has all the necessary moves to back it up. Robyn has really come into her own. Her music is sincere, from the heart and from the gut, and she has a perfectly tuned ear for what makes a good song amazing. To see her on stage is a delight, a confident, gorgeous and talented woman doing what she does best.

If you’re on Spotify, check out these albums in my best of 2010 playlist.

There sure was a cold wind blowing though Dusseldorf last night, and with it came buckets of snow, and massive anticipation for the Arcade Fire concert in the Philipshalle. The initial disappointment their tour didn’t stop in Holland made way for a nice little city trip to the Christmas markets of Dusseldorf, where I stood drinking glühwein in the snow, playing Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels) in my mind on repeat: “And if the snow buries my, my neighborhood..”

When the time came and the small community that is Arcade Fire took to the stage to loud cheers, they opened with the Suburbs tune that was made for the part: Ready To Start. The simple drum beat and driving guitar were the perfect match to the crowd’s excitement, the mood was set for the night. They held on to the electric vibe with a solid 4-piece opening combo, threading together Keep The Car Running, Neighborhood #2 (Laika) and No Cars Go. “Women and children, let’s go!!”.

Then some time to calm down a bit with the ever charming Regine taking central stage for Haiti and Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains). She seemed in very good spirits, doing her characteristic little rhythmic moves and even picking up some colourful ribbons for her dance routine. It’s during these songs, when I’m not bouncing around as much, that I notice how incredibly talented and multi-instrumental all the band members are.

Next up, the one song from The Suburbs I was most anxious to see: the ambitious Rococo. This song is the ideal setting for Win’s dark doomsday approach, “they build it up just to burn it back down”, perfectly accompanied by the eerie violin sounds and hushed “rococo-rococo-rococo” background vocals of the band members. What a pleasure to hear it played live! Win has really come into his own as a lead singer, carrying it off with great confidence. Here is a little youtube snippet.

Then a complete surprise, as mentioned in the opening sentence of this post: Cold Wind. This song won me over when I first heard it on the soundtrack of arguably the best tv series ever made, Six Feet Under, but I never heard it live before. Win mentioned they hadn’t played it for quite some time. Sadly I have to say it didn’t really live up to its haunting potential with a few hiccups during the song, but still a welcome surprise.

After a sizeable Suburbs middle section with Deep Blue, the uplifting romp along of The Suburbs with The Suburbs (continued) as outro and the frenetic rock out of Month Of May they carefully crafted another 4-part section to leave every single audience member begging for more.

Personal favourite and Funeral classic Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels) kicked it off, moving on to We Used To Wait which had Win jumping up on the monitors belting out “Hear my voice screaming sing the chorus again!”. Next up was Neighborhood #3 (Power Out), where Win left out a complete section of the song to thank a guy who stood up way in the back seats. He must have been delighted with himself. Power Out finally merged directly into to crowd favourite Rebellion (Lies), “Everytime you close your eyes, lies lies!”, a great set closer.

I was really hoping that some of the gems of Neon Bible would feature in the encore, but only Intervention was played, followed by the ultimate Arcade Fire live anthem Wake Up. O, wilt thou leave me so unsatisfied? Where was Black Wave/ Bad Vibrations? Where was (Antichrist Television Blues)? Where was Black Mirror? Oh well, I guess it would take playing all three albums entirely for me to be fully satisfied.

I think it’s fair to say Arcade Fire  is a band that has grown and matured over the last few years. The show might be less explosive than it used to be with band members constantly running around the stage banging drums, but that has made space for beautifully crafted songs, a confident band with mesmerising stage presence and a catalogue of songs that would each do well on stage. Their shows are an absolute treat, and if you haven’t seen them live yet I would urge you to do so!

SETLIST

01 Ready to Start
02 Keep the Car Running
03 Neighborhood #2 (Laika)
04 No Cars Go
05 Haiti
06 Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)
07 Rococo
08 Cold Wind
09 Deep Blue
10 The Suburbs
11 The Suburbs (continued)
12 Month of May
13 Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)
14 We Used to Wait
15 Neighborhood #3 (Power out) [extended version merging into 16]
16 Rebellion (Lies)

ENCORE
17 Intervention
18 Wake Up

“I know there’s no such thing as ghosts but I have seen the demon host” sang Timber Timbre‘s Taylor Kirk, but it sure felt a bit spooky with his eerie voice in the almost unlit church venue. A very atmospheric start to Crossing Border‘s second full on festival night.

I got more into the festive swing of things with Belgian band Marble Sounds, who I had shamefully never heard of until last week. Time I check out their debut ‘Nice is good’, because their melodic and slightly melancholy sound deserves further exploration. Maybe ditch the girl singer, but that might just be a matter of taste.

I finally got to see Tokyo Police Club next, and though they were a lot better live than I expected, there was only one conclusion for me. It’s music much better suited to the two fifteen year old semi-emo girls standing next to me, bursting at the seems with excitement.

Sadly I wasn’t able to get in to the Spoon gig because the venue was supposedly full (twitterbugs claimed otherwise, but oh well). To pass the time I took a stroll back to the church where the bewitching Smoke Fairies were playing. I was surprised to find myself quite mesmerised with the beautiful combinations of husky yet angelic vocals and country twang guitar.

With a line around the block for people wanting to see The National, I was happy to go the other way and get right up close to Local Natives. They cleverly opened with World News, which is such a stomper that after barely two minutes one guy jumped out of his seat and a wave of people all the way to the back of the posh theatre room followed. Who can sit still for this? The band member smiled and seemed to turn it up a notch. “This one is for the people who stood up, during our very first song. The pressure is on.”

No pressure at all, an effortless win for this charming and multi talented band from Los Angeles. With great songs like Shape Shifter, Wide Eyes, Talking Heads cover Warning Sign, the beautiful Airplanes and explosive set closer Sun Hands all the ingredients were there from the start. And they still only have one album to play from! I for one am really interested to see what this band does next.

Lima area

When you wake up on day three there is always a slight feeling of panic. Surely this cannot be what my face looks like? Why am I not able to stand up straight any more? Where did I leave my voice? Three nights with at most 4 hours sleep, lying on a wafer thin ‘self inflatable’ mattress really take their toll. But there’s still so much to see, no rest for the wicked.

SUNDAY 22-8

I decided to start my day off with a touch of hippy and headed straight for Yeasayer. I didn’t really know what to expect live as some of their songs are better suited to a state of mantra meditation, but I was pleasantly surprised. Their set was really diverse with more hits than I realised and the band sounded great, with both singers pitch perfect.  Even though their music can be a bit complicated for such a big stage there were plenty of anchors to hang on to: Sunrise, Ambling Alp, ONE and 2080. A wonderfully melodic and smooth start to the day.

Yeasayer live at Lowlands 2010 (photo Nick Helderman via 3VOOR12)

Even though The National is not necessarily my cup of tea I decided it would be worthwhile to have a peek and indeed it was. I was treated to a beautiful rendition of Bloodbuzz Ohio and heard a well oiled band playing intense songs with understated emotion, but it still didn’t grab me. A friend of mine said that if I love Radiohead I should love The National as well, but I’m going to have to let him down.

And now for something completely different: Die Antwoord, completely off kilter rap techno hip hop Zef  beat threesome from Cape Town. I had high expectations for this act, bringing something completely new to the festival lineup. It turned out to be a very entertaining show with special mention for the tiny and talented Yo-Landi Vi$$er, but it didn’t blow me away. The beats were there, the X-rated lyrics were all over the place (Jou ma se poes in a fishpaste jar!), the hits were there (Enter The Ninja, Beat Boy, Wat Pomp), but somehow it didn’t reach the next level. A lot of the material was still rough around the edges and friend & fellow Zef man Jack Parow did a much better job of connecting with the audience. And where was Parow during the hilarious closer Doos Dronk?

Die Antwoord at Lowlands 2010 (photo Jelmer de Haas via 3VOOR12)

On to Manchester new rave alumni Delphic, who delivered exactly what you would expect: a whirlwind show of synthesizers, beats, strobe lights and aspirational lyrics (Give me something I can believe in), brought with a lot of energy and conviction. The crowd enjoyed it and so did I, but somewhere in the ‘rave’ part of their music I lose interest. Maybe it’s the Manchester thing, never really got any of the bands with that sound, bands like Foals speak to me a lot more.

On the other side of the dance spectrum we find the straight laced but seductive London synth sound of Hot Chip. I’ve seen them a few times now and enjoy them more each time, they understand perfectly how to build a festival set and have the crowd jumping around in no time. With a hit packed catalogue of material to choose from it’s almost too easy: Over And Over, One Life Stand, Ready For The Floor, One Pure Thought, Hold On... Shame that Joe Goddard wasn’t with the band this time, although they used video images to produce his essential warm vocals.

Hot Chip

After the steaming Hot Chip crowd flowed out of the sauna of the Bravo tent I wandered over to the India stage for a spot of Two Door Cinema Club and was amazed to see a huge crowd stretching far beyond the tent joyfully dancing and singing along to every song. How did that happen? Did Something Good Can Happen get so much airplay that everyone bought the album? The Northern Irish boys are still a bit shaky in parts but are playing with loads of gusto and the crowd is clearly loving it. It’s cheerful and cleverly made pop music at it’s best, perfect little festival band but I’m curious to see if they have anything else up their sleeve.

At this stage of the day, hitting 9 PM and the festival slowly coming to an end, I find myself calculating the chance I will be able to make it through the next gig standing up. And so I decide to enjoy Massive Attack from the sidelines with some much needed refreshment. Not a decision I would usually make, as this is the kind of band you need to experience from within the dark brooding belly of the beast, way up front in the tent, where Martina Topley Bird’s bewitching vocals surround you. Sadly I was surrounded by kids in their late teens – early twenties who hadn’t the slightest idea what Massive attack have contributed to music.

Fool's Gold

Then comes the crucial moment: deciding which act will be your last one of the festival. Go the obvious route and head for Queens of the Stone Age at main stage Alpha? No, seen them before and not enough of a fan to brave the masses. Go out with the festive gypsy sounds of Shantel? No, not in the mood for Balkan beats. We happily ended up at the intimate Lima open air stage where Fool’s Gold gave the perfect end of festival performance. The musicians seemed to be having the time of their lives, the music was appropriately sunny and upbeat with a lot world music influences (African, Israeli and hometown Brooklyn to boot). I enjoyed it immensely and so did everyone else considering we were all still singing the last song for ten minutes after the band left the stage. They even came back for an extra bow and to take pictures of these crazy Dutch people who didn’t know when to stop.

Our little gang ended the night with the completely mental party cooked up by legendary Dutch DJ Kees van Hondt with his special brew of insane German and tiroler folk beats (where does he find this stuff??) and all the partygoers bringing attributes to the tent (mainly broken branches, inflatable animals and any unsecured piece of festival furniture). Then back to the camp sight to spend roughly three hours dreaming of what a wonderful edition 2010 was. Let’s do it all again next year.

Lowlands at night

angelic Lowlands visitor

After a semi-relaxed schedule on Friday the tables turned on Saturday and the running-around-like-a-blue-arsed-fly-phase announced itself. I even missed out on a couple of promising acts, but one must make tough choices in these harsh circumstances…

SATURDAY 21-8

Starting your Lowlands day at 1 PM pretty much feels like 5 AM on an average week day, but it was worth it for the silliness that was “Lowlands Sings“. The biggest festival tent was completely packed with people excited to start their day with the ultimate in cheesy communal karaoke. On stage: a few comedians presenting and about 30 people handpicked to be the choir, in fetching outfits. We sang classics the likes of Killing In The Name Of, Rammstein’s Die Sonne (choir dressed in lederhosen) and Hey Jude. The crowd was not having any R&B though, Alicia Keyes’ New York tune was relentlessly whistled to a halt. Guitars please!

Foals showed they can whip up a storm in any setting with their sublime brand of funky eighties electronic indie. I went to see them a while ago in Tivoli (much smaller venue), but they still managed to create the same atmosphere in the big Bravo tent. With a pang of pain I left before the end of the set in order to go and see Jack Parow and his Zef tunes. He was playing in the X-Ray and before he even started there was such a crowd they could have put a Y-Ray beside it. The tube-style venue was wafting fumes of body odour and stale beer in the heat, but people were sticking it out all the same. No wonder, Parow gave a very entertaining performance with massive beats, cool artwork and most improtantly, his trademark witty lyrics.

guy with Parow-style cap

As I walked across the festival terrain I decided to buy those protective ear plugs I used to snigger at (I’m getting on a bit) and it proved to be not a day to soon: the Blood Red Shoes gig was set to volume level ‘destruction’ I reckon. I’ve seen them a few times so it didn’t come as a surprise that they’re loud, but many of the people around me were covering their ears for fear of brain melt it seemed. The band was in good form, energetic and smiling at each other, giving it all despite the intense heat. Still I couldn’t help the sneaky feeling that their songs are starting to sound a bit ‘samey’, both musically and in the often repetitive lyrics.

Blood Red Shoes at Lowlands 2010 (photo Jelmer de Haas via 3VOOR12)

Time for some peace and quiet, some poetry, some contemplation: Villagers. Their debut album has steadily been growing on me over the last weeks and I was excited to see them. The setting was perfect, the sun just dipping behind the Charlie open air marquee, and Conor O’Brien taking the stage without band to do a ballsy acoustic performance of Twenty Seven Strangers. He had me at hello. I was struck by the heart felt and decisive delivery of O’Brien’s lyrics, for instance in I Saw The Dead and the sublime Becoming A Jackal. But the band is also well able to pick up the pace, with some of the songs ending in a howling O’Brien and band members frantically flailing arms at instruments. Part Elliott Smith, part Bright Eyes and a dose of Patrick Watson, sheer beauty.

Villagers

Hanging onto my mellow folky mood I was in luck: Local Natives were up next. I was amazed at how wonderful their harmonies were live, such a warm sound that reaches out to you. I can’t say anything to fault this show, they were just spot on. Warning Sign sounded like a classic seventies folk song in their rendition, with a taste of west coast peers Fleet Foxes. There was an absolute goosebump moment with the beautiful Airplanes. Can’t wait to see there guys in a full concert.

Local Natives live at Lowlands 2010 (photo Nick Helderman via 3VOOR12)

Here comes a little brokenbranches confession. Despite strict military planning I wasn’t able to go and see the LCD Soundsystem set in the tent due to the inability to stand for another minute. Running across the festivalgrounds takes its toll even on me, and so it happened that I was singing along to Drunk Girls whilst munching on a curry in the neighbouring food area. Slightly annoyed with myself, but what can you do.

I managed to recharge my batteries just about enough to go and see Beach House for a wonderfully dreamy end of the evening. The band took their time to get going, but at some point you could see they had the audience won over and I saw several lovey dovey couples canoodling during gems like Heart Of Chambers and Norway. One thing that’s even more astounding live: how did Victoria Legrand get her voice to be so husky?

Beach House

Collateral damage of the day: I wussed out at LCD, I missed the apparently great gig by La Pegatina and the Bloody Beetroots’ grimey beats. You can’t win’em all. This is also true for the Lowlands organisers who had a slight blemish on their otherwise immaculate festival: playing a late night film (The Expendables) in a tent with 8 massive pillars obstructing the view from about 75% of the possible seats in the tent. Fail.