Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ

I rather disagree that it hasn't been a vintage year.

I don't think the above magazines are any real gauge of the quality of the music that has come out of Wales in 2011.

In fact I think there's more evidence of a dearth of halfway decent music journalism than there is evidence of a lull in Welsh creativity. None of the lists mention The Joy Formidable's album - which, by most people's critical yardsticks - has been an international success. Perhaps the fact that they've been touring continuously, and haven't been kissing backsides in Hoxton, or Shoreditch, has counted against them. But it won't in the long run.

I do know what you mean, James: from a strictly commercial point of view, there aren't many Welsh artists who have made the grade. Having just spent more than two days trying to whittle my Best of Year playlist down to something I can squeeze into 3 hours, I can tell you it's been a far harder task this year than in any previous years.

The likes of Ifan Dafydd, Koreless, Skindred, White Noise Sound, Lleuwen, Colorama (and the *50* others on my list) mightn't have sold records in the 10's of thousands, or earnt themselves front covers in typically London-centric magazines, but they have made great music and they have - to my mind at least - made 2011 one of the greatest vintages since I started doing this, back in the Silurian era.

The 50 acts on your list Adam, stand more of a chance of getting in next year's lists than this year's. It takes something unusual for an act to get on the radar of enough music journos in London (always does) and this year not many new Welsh acts have done that. Look at the bands who are covered by this blog. All established, all known, and in their own way, veterans of some hue or other.
As you say, TJF is the only band who would also fit in easily, but maybe - at a push - Skindred too.
The big mags' lists are going to be full of releases of majors and better-known indies. Who's getting signed from Wales at the moment? There are loads of good ones, but they're self-releasing. The lists reflect acts which sell magazines (always does) and also sells advertising, therefore (always does). Until a Welsh act once more gets into that position again, the mass media are going to be giving a big, fat 'meh'.

Yes, I agree - however, the patronage of an increasingly redundant print media is of less importance to the majority of artists these days. We shouldn't regard their favour as a gauge of whether it's been a vintage year, or not.

It'll be more interesting to see how Welsh artists fare in the best of year lists from the likes of Pitchfork / Drowned In Sound et al...

Do Bastions not figure in either Rocksound or Kerrang? That's a real surprise.

Lists. Schmlists.

Not seen Rock Sound yet (wasn't in Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Wales shop), so maybe they will be. Ditto for Exit Interntional, maybe.

I take your point about print media, but I still think they're *a* gauge, even if their importance isn't what it used to be. They're still reflective of a certain view of success - ie as I said, they reflect what the 'industry' is doing in a fairly holistic way - labels, PR, advertising. Artistically that naturally means naff-all, but it being a 'vintage year' could as easily be measured on releases on majors for example, as it could be in 'how much did I like this year?'.

Let's think of 2003/04 for example; either of those years could be described as 'vintage' because on major labels or affiliates we had big releases from Lostprophets, Manics, Feeder, Stereophonics, Funeral For A Friend and Super Furries at the least, there may have been more.

To be blunt, if a Welsh band gets big, proper big, then the number of people visiting this site is a damned sight higher than if we run a blog on Exit International, great though they may be.

I suppose we need a definition of 'vintage year'.

I can appreciate the incredible successes of Lostprophets / Funeral For A Friend, and their ilk. But it's Beaujolais Nouveau music, isn't it? Not anything people are going to be writing about and enthusing over in 5, 10, 20 years time.

Ifan Dafydd's debut 12", however, could well become an incredibly sought after item. A copy of Hotel Shampoo on LP? H. Hawkline's (self) limited album? Great releases with a real longevity.

These are the kind of releases that make 2011 a supreme one for me.

See, to me 'vintage' infers quality not quantity - which is quite a different argument.

I take your point absolutely. Given that you and Bethan will be doing 'best of' type things for 2011, I think such features are all about quality, the subjective, the passionate interaction and all those things that you two are so good at articulating. My conclusion for this blog is that Welsh music is in a little bit of a trough purely in terms of recognition. As I say at the end, I hope "the raft of inventive newer Welsh acts break through and magazines can view Wales once more with a little bit of the green eye." - totally accept the artistic points you make.

I was being deliberately provocative when I described valleys pop metal as 'Beaujolais Noveau' music. Paradoxically, nothing stands the test of time better than music that's been made resolutely for that time. We'll probably find musicologists pouring over Funeral For A Friend in 50 years time, ignoring the more esoteric artists I tend to prefer.

Gobsmacked that Joy Formidable haven't found themselves on more of these lists. There seems to be a disconnect between the supposed tastemakers who draw them up (& their particularly self conscious, arms-race-of-cool tastes) and the tastes of an international audience. It's always been the case, I suppose. But the ever decreasing nature of pseudy second-guessing amongst high fallutin' critics appears to have reached collision point.

HAPPY CHRISTMAS!