2010 - Throwback Thursday

It's Thursday, which can only mean it's time for a little throwback action! Last week we took you back to 2011 to explore the best indie tracks of that year. This week we've moved a little further back to explore 2010! 2010 saw debut releases from Best Coast, Two Door Cinema Club, Everything Everything and Chiddy Bang to name a few, all of which went on to release strong albums. There was also a comeback for Jimmy Eat World, as well as a shit-ton of other amazing music. Here's a small smörgåsbord of what we heard in 2010!

2011 - Throwback Thursday

Haven't done one of these in a while, it may be that a similar trend goes on in future! It's Thursday, which means it's time for a little TBT action.

Let's take a trip back to 2011. It's a massive year for music that falls under the indie bracket. We witnessed the emergence of bands that championed the indie pop sound as we know it - Foster the People, Walk the Moon and Grouplove who all released debut material during the year.

We also saw the resurgence of indie rock bands that had potentially fallen under the radar again. I'm talking The Strokes, Arctic Monkeys, The Black Keys and so on. So for today's TBT, I've compiled ten of the best indie tracks from 2011. Enjoy!

Two Door Cinema Club - Cigarettes in the Theatre

It's just over three and a half years ago that Two Door Cinema Club first tore the indie pop/rock genre open with their frankly brilliant début album, Tourist History. Rocketing to the top of the Irish Independent Album chart, and winning Album of the Year (2010), it's 32 minutes and 32 seconds of absolute brilliance. Had this on repeat for a very very long time, and loved every second of it. Obviously their second album Beacon didn't quite reach the high standards and expectations of every Two Door fan, but it was still pretty decent. Throw in their recent Changing of the Seasons EP and it looks to be an exciting future for the band.

So, why this song? Well, it was the first song they played when I saw them at Brixton Academy at what (almost embarassingly) was the first gig I went to on my own with friends, and it was absolutely amazing/fucking mental/mindblowing/life-changing. The trio from Northern Ireland absolutely blew the roof off of the Academy that night, and it's one I'll never forget. Gotta love Thursdays.

Phoenix - Lisztomania (TBT)

Happy Thursday morning! Going back four years today to 2009, and the release of Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, one of my favourite albums of the last five years. This was the album that really propelled the Frenchmen towards a more mainstream audience - ending up as one of the top 10 alternative albums of 2009! Individual tracks also received great success, with "Lisztomania" and "1901" reaching 4 and 13 on the 2009 version of 'triple j's Hot 100'.

This is one of my favourite songs, a serious pick-me-up whenever I feel down. I adore the new Phoenix album but I'm not sure any new material has the same feel-good vibes that "1901" and "Lisztomania" give off. Doesn't matter though, because who needs new feel-good when this is so good!? Having had the opportunity to see Phoenix on the final night of Reading 2013, I can assure you they still sound fantastic. Enjoy.

New Radicals - You Get What You Give (TBT)

It's Thursday, so it's obviously time for a throwback! Today we're going back to November 1998. I was only three years old and yet this song is a pretty vivid memory! "You Get What You Give" was the first single (and undeniably the most successful) from New Radicals' début LP, Maybe You've Been Brainwashed Too.  Reaching number 5 in the British charts, and #1 in both Canada and New Zealand, New Radicals enjoyed some success in the two years they were active.

For some reason I can always remember this being rotated heavily on French radio right up and beyond the turn of the millennium - as a family we had a lot of a holidays down in the south of France which probably explains just why this memory resonates strongly with me - long journeys perhaps? So yeah, as part of your Throwback Thursday, have a listen to some pop rock history in the form of one hit wonders, New Radicals. Enjoy.