Songs of 2014

Over the last few years, I've challenged myself to list my favourite songs of the year (see 2012 and 2013).  This is partly a vain attempt to force my musical tastes on others, but it is also a means for me to document my choices of the year.  The first thing that strikes me is how hard it is to remember across a full 12 months, my memory being typically restricted to my previous meal.

Below is my list of tracks that managed to leave crumbs in my memory and have brought me lots of joy over the year.  If even one of these tracks intrigues you to discover more, then I'll be pleased.  But I'll happily satisfy myself that I can point to a record of my interests in 2014.

The list is in no particular order, other than the first track which continues to blow my mind and everyone should take a quiet moment to enjoy it.  Should you want to listen consecutively, here's the YouTube playlist http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLKJb-1gYRIjGt_SpgOCPLgFY6biDbW0xx 

Slow Club - Not Mine to Love

A great album of 2014, but I heard a live version of this on Marc Riley and almost had to stop the car.  Absolutely spin-tingling.  The strings on the album version are great, but the live version is so intimate and powerful

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hTdLXdbLrg 

Jenny Lewis - She's Not Me

So pleased that she's back.  Her previous album, Rabbit Fur Coat, was the soundtrack to much of my twenties and this is such a strong record.  Lots of good tracks, but I love the darkness and honesty of this song against other more pop-ier (though no less personal) tracks

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9hKp2zm6X4 

Conor Oberst - Hundreds of Ways

Like Jenny Lewis, Bright Eyes was a constant listen in the early noughties and whilst I've continued to follow Conor Oberst's career, this song was the first time I've sensed the energy of I'm Wide Awake It's Morning.  Great storytelling

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nNXIOqevUk 

Sharon Van Etten - Afraid of Nothing

Her album is one of the strongest of 2014 and every single performance is incredibly moving.  This song begins the album and sets a great tone 

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIUsuUsiKb0 

Burning Hell - Wallflowers

I have the biggest smile listening to this band.  Intelligent, humorous lyrics throwing out the occasional poetic sucker punch ("like a crow, don't you know, I'm helpless around shiny things"). Also check out Amateur Rappers 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-A0cJK3skk (song begins at 1m20)

Courtney Barnett - History Eraser

Probably my favourite new act of the year.  So original and effortlessly cool.  Love the album

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6_G5PlEXdk 

St Vincent - Prince Johnny

Like a modern day Grace Jones, I admire the ambition of the album.  This song is particularly heartfelt and enjoyable (with the right dose of weirdness)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idllxjHbX7w 

Anna Calvi - Eliza

Continuing the theme of strong women, Anna Calvi followed up with a great album losing none of the power of her debut

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20gmnV5Xkro 

The Handsome Family - Far From Any Road

This song isn't actually from 2014 but it has absolutely been part of my soundtrack.  Used as the theme tune for True Detective, I've loved getting to know more of this band

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGw7KtRxfgU 

Wave Pictures - Pea Green Coat

A recent favourite, full of energy and brilliant musicianship. Exactly what music should sound like 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_K9LQW4TJFw 

Alvvays - Archie, Marry Me

I'm always a sucker for a 60s dreamy sound and this is a great specimen.  Looking forward to hearing more from them

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAn3JdtSrnY 

There we go.  Hope you enjoy.  Apologies if you hate the songs, but bigger apologies to the hundreds of songs that have passed through my ears and not been trapped by the wax.

Happy Christmas!

Behind The Music - Christmas For Vampires

By now, I'm sure you've heard this year's Christmas smash - Christmas For Vampires.  But in fear that the song is instantly forgotten, I thought I'd tell the story about the conception and production. There's no budget for a documentary for BBC Four, but I have got a few minutes for a blog.




Why the Song?
So I'm a weird guy who likes recording fun songs.  I like the feeling of a song coming together as I figure my way through it.  I then struggle to get the recording to sound like how I imagine it should, and my limitations musically and on Garage Band only exacerbate this.  But, I felt a need to be creative.  I don't have the courage to do a "serious" song, so I do songs that I hope are mildly amusing, and at least a great memory for the boys.  Plus, it's Christmas.

Why Vampires?
This is all down to Ted (4).  We were discussing Christmas song ideas over breakfast and he stated that there are no spooky Christmas songs. Granted, Christmas not usually viewed as a spooky time of year.  But he had a point, surely ghosts, vampires, bats etc all celebrate Christmas.  Ted was on the high of Halloween and an obsession with the Monster Mash, that fused into the inspiration for the song:

The Musical Inspiration
I appreciate it might not sound like much thought went into the music, but the nugget of the song actually comes from Johnny Cash.  I was watching an excellent documentary about his concert at Folsom Prison and the live performance of Folsom Prison Blues ("I shot a man in Reno...") blew me away.  I took out my guitar and clumsily followed the chords.  This is broadly the chord structure used in this song (though in E flat rather than F)

The opening is from Bach's Toccata en Fugue, though the vampire link is hopefully obvious.  But the merge of this into Jingle Bells (which I don't think works very well on the song) is actually a nod to Joni Mitchell who does it brilliantly in The River

The Lyrics
Ted provided most of the ideas for the lyrics, and I merely tried to stitch them together around the chords.  The repetition of certain lines, is me being lazy to try and nail Ted's key lines.  I love the idea of the vampire family sitting down to a Christmas lunch of blood.  

The Recording
The process of recording the song saps almost any joy I have in creating the song, leaving me resenting my playing and the song itself.  It is a trade-off to get something credible on tape against the timebomb of me throwing my computer out of the window and cutting my hands off so that I can never make music again.  This song came closer to violence than most.  I threw away the first recording as it was too quick, out of time and just quite shit.  The second version took multiple takes of multiple tracks.  It's probably too slow, but I couldn't be bothered to do it again.

The Solo
The guitar solo is unashamedly self-indulgent.  These home recordings allow me to play lead guitar as if I have friends with me and I love it.  This solo isn't technical, but boy did I make a fist of it.  But for the geeky info, it's played through a Vox AC30 with a decent level of fuzz from my Boss FZ5 pedal - a present I bought myself a year ago and have not had a chance to use.  The sound was inspired from a documentary I watched about Marshall amps, in particular Rick Parfitt's sound at the start of Status Quo's Caroline:

What Next?
Creatively Ted and I are a bit exhausted.  But knowing his obsession with Christmas, I expect we'll start spitballing ideas as early as Boxing Day.  Perhaps we'll release a Christmas album in time for Easter.  Wilf is also showing signs of interest musically which will add a new dynamic.

I apologise in advance.

Holiday Emotions

Sometimes I hate myself.  Whilst there are many imperfections that I regularly get frustrated about, nothing makes me want to hang my head in shame than making bad, predictable jokes that make you look like a twat.

In the last couple of years, I have developed a habit of making a joke of incredible twatishness.  I am the person who makes jokes about colleagues using their holiday allocation.  I hate others who do it and I hate it when I do it, but before I can think of anything eloquent to say the following phrases leap from my mouth:

- "You're off again?!"

- "Is this another sabbatical?!"

- "Haven't you already had a day's holiday this year?"

- "Don't worry about us!"

It occurred to me the other day why I do this.  I'm trying to protect myself.  What I really want to do is scream "PLEASE DON'T LEAVE US, I'M SCARED THE COMPANY WILL FALL APART WITHOUT YOU" whilst clinging to their ankles and dragging them back to their desks.

This happens every time someone goes on holiday.
Source. CTLive.Info 

Now I appreciate that this might all come across as quite weird, but it is driven from a (largely) commercial and rational base. At Motors.co.uk, we're still a small company.  We're growing fast and there aren't enough hours in the day.  When people aren't there, their loss is felt.

People do need holiday and it's important to recharge one's batteries, but it's also important for people to know that they have a team that will welcome them back firmly when they return.  I may well look into a full, flag waiving hero's welcome for anyone taking more than 3 days off at any time.  

In the meantime, if anyone hears me joking about their upcoming holiday, just remember that I'm hurting.  As the wise Aswad sang: "Don't turn around, 'cause you're gonna see my heart breaking".

Potentially people will now find the emotional responsibility of taking holiday too much.  (have I just made a bad joke about people taking holiday?  Dammit!)

The Brand Or The Car?

When I was at school, there was rarely less chance of getting bullied than if your parents drove a Skoda.  Kids whose parents didn't even have a car took the piss, it was deemed worse than having a car.  Fast forward twenty years and Skoda regularly wins awards for its cars and has generated strong customer loyalty.  I know enough about them to know that they are genuinely good cars at great value.  But, push come to shove, I probably still wouldn't buy one for fear of being taunted by the playground.  Their brand perception has improved drastically to a point that I wouldn't have thought possible as a smarmy 10 year old.

Worse than not having a car?!
Source: Wikipedia

The long term value and association of a brand lingers.  It can be repaired, it can be altered, but our emotions towards a brand are personal and affected by our own interactions with the brand - it's not a quick fix.  This obviously creates a nightmare for marketeers who would love to deliver quick changes in a homogenous manner.

The brand relationship is particularly powerful with cars.  We have recently changed our family car, and it forced my wife and I to look outside our usual brands.  As a couple, we have a number of shared values, and a respect of German cars was one of them (albeit, not something we lingered on in early dates).  For reasons of budget and model range (we "needed" 7 seats and 4x4) we were taken away from our German bruders.  

(as an aside, research from Motors.co.uk shows that German brands have the biggest brand allegiance - 59% of BMW drivers intend to stick with a BMW next time)

Naturally, I used the Motors.co.uk Smart Search to help decide the best car for our criteria.  I'm afforded the responsibility of identifying the shortlist of cars for consideration.  This one took some convincing, because it you're not spending north of £40,000, a 4x4 purchase tends to be a utilitarian purchase.  The romance of the process was lost as we conceded the need for practicality over fun.

When it looked like a Volvo was the most likely outcome, I was satisfied, my wife was in shock.  "How can I be a Volvo driver!" she exclaimed.  I was perplexed.   She knew that the decision was a good one, based on a market leading car search tool(!), but her emotional reaction to the brand put her hackles up.  As far as Bianca was concerned, we might as well get two labradors, wear cardigans and become bores who discuss A roads and NCAP ratings.

I, on the other hand, was very comfortable with this.  Not only do I back myself when it comes to A roads and NCAP ratings, my parents had Volvos when I was younger and my perception of them was very different.  The first car I drove on passing my test was a Volvo 440, quickly moving onto 2 different S40s.  I didn't perceive them as boring.  I knew that such a view existed.  But I viewed them as almost luxury cars.  No other 17 year old was driving as nice a car as me.  I was a Volvo driver, and proud of it.  (If you didn't know me as a teenager, this paragraph will give you a very good impression of just how cool I was)

Hilarity from the Volvo Touing Car Team - I loved it!
Source: TouringCarTimes.com

Common sense, and a lack of other attractive options prevailed and we are now Volvo owners.  I'll probably wait a couple of years before joining the owners' club, but I do hope that I'll be able to transform Bianca's views on the brand.  For the millions spent on glamorous TV advertising, the real connection with the brand comes from personal experience.  This is an area that should never be underestimated by brands.  Your brand isn't your advert, it is your product and everything that surrounds it.

I'm pleased that we reached a rational outcome.  Though, I should probably admit that on paper arguably the best choice for us was a Land Rover ... but I refuse to become a Land Rover driver.

Perfectly rational.

Lift Adrenaline

I suffer from a condition that my friends named "lift adrenaline".  It's an inability to not talk when faced with the silence of being in a lift with others - it's especially unfortunate that I usually say something stupid or inappropriate. Here's a brief anecdote about a recent attack.

7.30am, Cosmopolitan Hotel, Las Vegas NV - I'm taking the lift from the casino to the 4th floor.  Another guest of the hotel enters the lift.  She's dressed casually, early twenties.  Unfortunately for her, she briefly makes eye contact.  I reciprocate a smile, but it quickly disappears as I feel a charge of lift adrenaline and I begin the internal conflict to overcome it.  A maximum of two seconds have elapsed with the lift doors being shut.  It feels like a lifetime.  I'm fighting to not say anything and appear normal.

Obviously I fail.

"Is your day starting or ending?" I ask.  It is meant entirely innocently, but immediately "lift regret" kicks in and I'm concerned that this will be perceived as some sort of "line".  

"Just ending" She laughs, looks at me in more detail and asks "you?"

She's clearly being polite and I exhale a brief laugh.  I am dressed as preppy as they come in chinos, gingham shirt, and a whopping great name badge hanging around my neck.  I could not be more corporate.  I'm floored with the realisation that this is a very different Vegas experience for me.

I recall a trip to Vegas about 10 years ago, playing blackjack at 8am (following a big night and an all you can eat breakfast), chatting to the world's worst bridesmaid.  Her sister was getting married in 3 hours time and she'd been up all night and was now playing $5 blackjack with some English idiots.

But you know what?  I think I'm ok with it.  I wanted to be at the conference.  I wanted to be fresh of mind.  I struggle to stay awake after 10pm anyway.  On another day, it could have triggered a mid-life crisis but I sort of chuckled to myself in a "you kids" manner and prepared myself for a day of presentations, strategy sessions and networking.  

The lift doors opened and I exited invigorated by this coming of age.  My only fear as I left was whether I had broken my gaze at the woman as I considered all of this.  Knowing lift adrenaline, I suspect not.

I'm rich! Oh... wait a minute

I couldn't believe it, I'd struck gold!  The numbers were incredible!  It was clear that all the hard work we'd done had paid off.  And, how it had paid off!  Business books would be written about the transformation.  This was no ordinary rebudget, this was revolutionary.  

Then that sick feeling in my stomach.

Excel, the bitch, had made a mistake.  More accurately, it's mentally challenged user had made an incredibly simple mistake.  It was more satisfying to blame Excel though.  Why would I want to anchor the row AND the column?  Excel should have known that right?

Wrong.

Millions of pounds lost in a matter of seconds.  I was heartbroken.  Excel should have a warning to not be used by optimists.  A cynic would have spotted something was wrong immediately, but I wanted to believe this was true.

What could be wrong here?

Forecasting and budgeting absorb countless hours of every business and it is very important to have the yardstick and debate about how we achieve our goals.  But judging the success of the business against these yardsticks depends on an oft overlooked assumption - that we are good at forecasting.

If a business misses its budget, is it a failure, or was the budget wrong?  Ultimately, it is right that the leaders are punished either way, though a wrong budget seems a lesser crime than a business failure.

As with all data, I think budgets themselves shouldn't be taken in isolation and should be reviewed against a wider context.  This sounds like excuse making, and it probably is, but it is wrong to assess any business against one metric only.  

Then there is also the human behaviour to consider.  If a business wildly exceeds its budget, then that is a sign of  sandbagging with managers potentially under reporting to boost their own bonuses?  A budget "should" be a faithful expectation of the performance, but this "should" also be led by people who are optimistic of the performance - if a manager doesn't believe in the business, who else will? - so by definition the budget should overstate expected performance. The political game of budgeting makes it impossible to work out whether the budget is likely to be above or below management's real expectation.  (personally, I'm too dumb to "game" it)

Add to this the potential for calamitous Excel slips and you realise that if the budgeting process is an art rather than a science it is, at best, a crayon scrawl.  

Alternatively, the rest of the world is much better at Excel and budgeting than me.  This is quite possible. 

Right, back to the job in hand.  What's that?  There's only 12 months in a year?  Bugger.

Me versus Excel (Excel winning)

Best Day At Work ... Ever!

A real "dear diary" moment happened to me recently, here it is:

I had the best day at work ever.  Even better than the day I got 2 Twirls out of the vending machine for the price of one.

Last Thursday the TV ad for Motors.co.uk went live on TV and it surpassed all of my hopes.  My prevailing emotion going into the day was anticipation (with a side-dish of fear) of whether the promises we'd made about finally bringing Motors.co.uk to the attention of consumers would be true.  The first sizeable screening was 10.45am during Secret Millionaire: Australia (the guy gave about £20k, not exactly Rockefeller).  TVs in the office on.  Everyone stopped to watch and a cheer went up as it appeared, and it looked good, really good.

As soon as it was over, I stared at my analytics and the traffic spiked up immediately.  IMMEDIATELY!  It kept going and we soon hit levels we'd never seen before. One advert in a relatively low daytime rating slot.  Andy and I looked at each other and said "thank God for that".  It worked.

The rest of the working day was continued highs as the peak of Secret Millionaire was quickly forgotten, and we broke record after record of users live on the site.  Every time we hit a new high (which seemed like every 30 minutes), applause and cheers filled the office.  Someone shouted a "COME ON" more aggressively and passionately than Andy Murray.  Others took photos of the analytics screens.  It was like being in a movie, if ever one was written about an online car classified site.

I took a moment to appreciate that the joy in the office was the culmination of so many people's hard work and commitment to the business over many years.  A moment of great privilege to have a team so together in their passion for this to work.  If one person had hugged, it would have sparked an outbreak.  We were twitching with excitement.

But, we were being idiots, the British public were just warming up.  In the evening, we went to the pub to see our "hero" positions on ITV.  We went to the pub.  We took sweeps on where we thought the traffic would go to.  The traffic continued to heat up with ads on ITV2 and E4 (after Hollyoaks - possibly my proudest moment), but nothing could have prepared us for what happened at 8.30 between Emmerdale and Birds of a Feather. 

The traffic leaped quickly, then it leaped again, and again, we all realised that this was going to be special.  People were now videoing Google Analytics (in a pub).  The barman was cheering with us.  It peaked at levels I thought others were foolish to choose in the sweepstake.  My "bullish" guess a fraction of the peak. 

Sharing this day with everyone who had invested so much into getting the business ready for this was an honour.  We've had lots of battles to get here, but they were all worth it for this moment of euphoria.

As is the Motors.co.uk way, we are now hooked on this greater level of traffic and crawling all over the data to improve performance further.  Our expectations are now even higher.

But on this one day, what we dreamed of arrived and then kept coming.  Officially we'll credit strategic planning, but it felt more like karma.  I'll never forget it or stop chasing it. 

Steve Baulmer had nothing on me that day: