Dan awards 2012
Best Album:
Europe by Allo, Darlin' - First time a band has ever got my "album of the year" for two consecutive albums. It's not as good as their first, but it is very fine.
Honourable Mention: Tosca Mista by The Hooded Claw - proper old skool rock and roll, but a bit fucked up when you find out the story behind the songs.
Best Single:
Euphoria by Loreen - A song so good, that it's replaced Sweet n Sour by The Blouse Explosion as my own personal motivation song.
Honourable Mention: Waterline by Jedward - the fact this only reached 92 is, I think, the most damning comment on today's society.
Honourable Mention (2): The Mother That We Share by Chvrches - I usually make a point of priciple that I can never make more than 1 honorable mention, but holy fuck was this song good. The fact that they got mentioned in the BBC Sound of 2013 and are thus no longer just my (and a few others)'s secret, makes me sad
Best Book:
A Storm of Swords Part 1: Steel and Snow by George R R Martin - I know I'm way behind the curve on this one, and that it didn't come out this year, but hell it's good. I was a massive fan of the wildcard books when I was a teenager, so him getting recognition makes me very happy.
Best TV Programe:
The Colbert Report - by new discovery of the year was Stephen Colbert. His puns alone are stunning, however it was the episode where he does a tribute to Maurice Sendak which was easily the best thing I saw all year. I've watched it four or five times now (each time showing it to someone else) and I still can't get through it without crying my fucking eyes out - a beautiful tribute to a beautiful man.
Honourable Mention: Muhamed Ali: I shook the word - I would never have realised Des Lynam and Barry Mcguiggan sitting and talking about Ali would have made good television. I would also never have realised that Ali's first title win, and the run up to it, was the most wrestling-like thing seen outside wrestling ever
Best Film:
The Decendents - Unlike Mark Kermode, I really don't think 2012 was a good year for films, (although I'm yet to see a royal affair), as opposed to 2011 which I think was a the best year for films in a decade. As if to prove it, my three favourite films of the year (the decendants, the muppets and the artists - year for the things wasn't it) were all released in america in 2011. The fact my film of the year stars george clooney does make me feel a little sad though
Honourable Mention: Beasts of the Southern Wild - It's not the best film ever - the first half lacks something, and the shakey camera-work is annoying, but there's a moment about half-way through, where the film hits you like a fucking juggernaut - to me it litteraly felt like I'd recieved a battering ram to the stomach - and after that, all you're begging is for is a happy ending.
Best Radio
Fredom Pass - Again I'm so late to the party that one of the dudes is dead, but hoestly, it's amazing.
Best Computer Game:
Dishonored - I fucking hate the fact they forced the americanised spelling on us, but other than that, I would struggle to find a single thing wrong with this game. In my mind it's the single best game from the whole ps3/xbox 360 generation of consoles
Worst Film:
Bebarian Sound Studios - oh jesus, this was dreadful..... so full of promise and then it's like they ran out of ideas with 40 minutes to go and the rest they decided to do nothing with and forget about characters in order to be clever.
Europe by Allo, Darlin' - First time a band has ever got my "album of the year" for two consecutive albums. It's not as good as their first, but it is very fine.
Honourable Mention: Tosca Mista by The Hooded Claw - proper old skool rock and roll, but a bit fucked up when you find out the story behind the songs.
Best Single:
Euphoria by Loreen - A song so good, that it's replaced Sweet n Sour by The Blouse Explosion as my own personal motivation song.
Honourable Mention: Waterline by Jedward - the fact this only reached 92 is, I think, the most damning comment on today's society.
Honourable Mention (2): The Mother That We Share by Chvrches - I usually make a point of priciple that I can never make more than 1 honorable mention, but holy fuck was this song good. The fact that they got mentioned in the BBC Sound of 2013 and are thus no longer just my (and a few others)'s secret, makes me sad
Best Book:
A Storm of Swords Part 1: Steel and Snow by George R R Martin - I know I'm way behind the curve on this one, and that it didn't come out this year, but hell it's good. I was a massive fan of the wildcard books when I was a teenager, so him getting recognition makes me very happy.
Best TV Programe:
The Colbert Report - by new discovery of the year was Stephen Colbert. His puns alone are stunning, however it was the episode where he does a tribute to Maurice Sendak which was easily the best thing I saw all year. I've watched it four or five times now (each time showing it to someone else) and I still can't get through it without crying my fucking eyes out - a beautiful tribute to a beautiful man.
Honourable Mention: Muhamed Ali: I shook the word - I would never have realised Des Lynam and Barry Mcguiggan sitting and talking about Ali would have made good television. I would also never have realised that Ali's first title win, and the run up to it, was the most wrestling-like thing seen outside wrestling ever
Best Film:
The Decendents - Unlike Mark Kermode, I really don't think 2012 was a good year for films, (although I'm yet to see a royal affair), as opposed to 2011 which I think was a the best year for films in a decade. As if to prove it, my three favourite films of the year (the decendants, the muppets and the artists - year for the things wasn't it) were all released in america in 2011. The fact my film of the year stars george clooney does make me feel a little sad though
Honourable Mention: Beasts of the Southern Wild - It's not the best film ever - the first half lacks something, and the shakey camera-work is annoying, but there's a moment about half-way through, where the film hits you like a fucking juggernaut - to me it litteraly felt like I'd recieved a battering ram to the stomach - and after that, all you're begging is for is a happy ending.
Best Radio
Fredom Pass - Again I'm so late to the party that one of the dudes is dead, but hoestly, it's amazing.
Best Computer Game:
Dishonored - I fucking hate the fact they forced the americanised spelling on us, but other than that, I would struggle to find a single thing wrong with this game. In my mind it's the single best game from the whole ps3/xbox 360 generation of consoles
Worst Film:
Bebarian Sound Studios - oh jesus, this was dreadful..... so full of promise and then it's like they ran out of ideas with 40 minutes to go and the rest they decided to do nothing with and forget about characters in order to be clever.