Miércoles 23 Dic 2009, 17:44

Top albums of 2009 – number 1

Dead Times – Midnight Glass (Self-released)

I’m utterly confident when I make the following statement: if someone like Radiohead had been responsible for this album it would be universally hailed as a masterpiece, a mesmerising and challenging journey into areas of music not normally explored, offering juxtapositions of material that only the bravest and most innovative of bands would attempt, and that only the very best would pull off.

All of which would be true. Except it’s the duo Dead Times who are responsible for this, the year’s best album, they made it available for free download and I found out about it via a blogger whose identity I’ve long since forgotten.

And I’ve come across a number of people who feel pretty much the same way, all of whom ask the question: why don’t more people seem to be aware of this album?

I can’t answer that, except to say that, notwithstanding the quality of everything else in this top thirty, nothing comes close to challenging it as the most exquisite collection of music this year. I play it again and again and it still never fails to surprise, bewilder and demand to be heard again.

I’ll be playing a track from the album in the one-off Christmas Eve show on Dandelion Radio that goes out at 22.00 GMT and precedes the first broadcast of this year’s festive fifty. And you’d be foolish not to go to www.myspace.com/deadtimesvibes to hear more of this extraordinary duo, who put out a load more stuff during the year, all of which hints at an even greater depth to what they can do, astonishing prospect though that is.

Just a reminder that you can also hear my December show on Dandelion Radio throughout the rest of the month at www.dandelionradio.com. Check the schedule on the website for details of when.
Dead Times