Better late than never they say, computer problems the curse of a Christmas in catering and then a holiday have left it till now for me to publish my yearly album list I lovingly call the festive 50, although we have moved into the cold beginnings of another year now so I will rebrand to just ‘The 50’. I have thrown of the shackles of employment for a while to take stock and decide of where I am best suited to practicing my art, I was feeling stifled and slightly like a diva and after a drunken argument with one personified cow and a real life one followed by a long walk to reflect I was left with the notion that I should follow more of my own advice. You are not your job, I’ve heard that said by wiser men than me recently but it is advice that I have doled out before it Is why I don’t like to be called Chef because it distances me as a human from the mere toil that I partake in. I have also distanced myself from one of the main things that sets me apart that makes my insides feel alive and like the special little snowflake that I surely am – from the music that keeps my heart beating and my soul singing. Far too long I listened to Kiss FM last year and felt so spongy in my ears that I couldn’t find it in my heart to speak loudly enough, I was attacked by vicious ear worms that sought to eat away at my taste and leave me like a drooling fool in a discount bar chain grinning gormlessly to vapid pop morsels thrown out by dubious dj’s for the pleasure of the baying masses. Sometimes I like a folly into the world of mass commercial music because then you can go back to the safety of your home audio zone to my digital radio playing BBC 6 Music and my bedroom mornings with the new and exciting discoveries and feel special and warm that in the maelstrom of the mundane you can still find a space and a sound for you to feel alive, this time I dwelled too long and it nearly finished me off.
I need to speak of the
death of music retail and my apology for how I absorb music which has not
helped the situation but I feel that now is not the time – I need to give this
first message of the year and my recap of 2012 to have a positive note and for
all the business talk and arguments of nostalgia and the changing future we
need to always keep focused on what is truly important which is the music
itself, no matter how it reaches your ears.
It has been a hard year for me to absorb music as much as I usually
would but still I have enjoyed gems and heard things that I found to be
genuinely new exciting and exactly where I want my head to fall I hope that you
have enjoyed the sounds of 2012 too and are waiting eagerly for the next year
of musical exploration however the business end holds up.
As before the list is in a
semi flowing order but not too strict until you come to the hard fought top 10
and I include a favourite track so as to create a playlist for me to enjoy with
the top 5 albums getting 2 song entries in reward for their dominance over my
musical year – hope you enjoy and will be back to read as I discover more bands
this year.
Wanted to
start the list with something loud and this album could be one of my most
listened too of the whole year being as how much my former collegues liked it
and put it on repeat while we prepped – as annoying as that got it is a well
thought out album with a true message and some pithy lyrics start it with an
OIIII and the title track ‘ILL Manors’
Much
lauded by those apparently in the know though the result is somewhat samey
through the whole album there are some lovely old sounds in hear that will warm
the soul of any old-time rock’n’roll fan. Cant go wrong with track one ‘Hold On’
A late
discovery that shows the growing Dream-pop genre pushing on from were trip-hop
died and filling eerie spaces witch sketchy glitching beats and sweet vocals
give ‘Saltkin’ a go
Theres
something pure rock about this album that I couldn’t ignore it was sort of two
sided with occasional quieter parts but it’s the killer riffs and big sounds
that will really have you hooked – its not clever its just riffs – ‘The Devil Takes Care Of His Own’
Heard on
a wonderful BBC 6 Music live session I was very eager to hear more and was
pleased when I did – need to listen and find out more because I think we can
expect big things there is something frighteningly nihilistic and hollow that
fills a lovely eerie space like on ‘How
Long Have You Known’
Reccomended
by Mr Miles Patterson because he knows my musical street so well there is the
touch of Clap Your Hands Say Yeahh in there and the touch of all that is good
about moving on a folk tradition in new alt ways. ‘Saving Song’
I doubt
this band will ever recapture the excitement that I got when first discovering
them but there is still something about there unchanged style that I cant
resist, the synths are getting louder but the tapping riffs are still there and
the beat is as strong as ever. ‘Empty
Party Rooms’
Took me a
while to catch up with the hype but when I did it all came flooding in with a
lovely affected sax sound and a glitch greatness just like the opener ‘Fingers Never Bleed’
Another
voice I just cant resist, he has a format and he sticks to it because it just
creates great music that could only come from one man, forget how much I like
that trad jazz smoothe style and van can always pull me back ‘Close Enough For Jazz’
A bit of
a grower but when the right song hit me at the right time I was really taken
with, more dream-pop that can sound contrived or create really personel and
aching songs just like ‘Pair Of Wings’
Busy year
for this young lad as he burst onto the scene with a massive hit from what
could be considered an unlikely sound to make it so big, taken to the hearts of
many demographics. I fear he is a one trick pony but the trick sells and
catches you up in its infectious manc charm.
‘Lightning Bolt’ was everywhere this year and here it is again
A band I
always want good things for because of their original vocal approach and
intense atmosphere that they create somewhere between scathing dischord and
beautiful melody, listened to this alone and far from anyone else and was taken
in – hope I have the quiet time to enjoy it again soon with such great tracks
as ‘Believing Makes It Easy’
I wasn’t
taken by this album at first even though I loved a lot of the sounds that were
going on within it but on re listening it could grow in my appreciation – like
I have said there has not been enough time for all these great tunes especially
when you have a 70’s Lennon sounding jack with boogie woogie piano on ‘Trash Tongue Talker’
What a
sensational return from a phenomenal artist with a great aging to her voice and
the same unmistakable pith to her style, theres a lot of depth to this album
that makes it sound honest and open. ‘April
Fool’
On
reflection I didn’t listen to this album anywhere near enough, that’s what
happens when I compile these lists I go back listen and call my self a plonker
for not making more times for gems like this part noisy monster and part
delicate wallflower. ‘Glitters Like
Gold’
Highly
recommended by the excellent Cian Phillips this slice of haunting scotish
misery is a real desolate chunk of introspective greatness – if you like that
sort of thing. Think Interpol sitting in a cold room cold turkey from heroine
and rain lots of rain they should write songs for the realistic scotish tourist
board. ‘Nil’
Possibly
quite vile trite scensters but they play a catchy melody and seem to have a
sense of wistfull brutishness that I was quite drawn too, cant say I listened
to the album too much but whenever I was making a playlist I kept putting this
song on it (I bet Cian will Kill me for putting this against Twilight sad but I
say to him write your own list, I’d love to read it) ‘Half Way Home’
Ill admit
to being disappointed at first listen, it is very stripped back from the sound
of the last album which has become one of my favourite albums of all time.
These songs are simpler but are still blessed with a marmite voice and a sense
of Nordic mysticism that spins a heartfelt tale, I need to take a roadtrip
along some fjords and this album might make me love it or listen to it on a
scratchy record player alone in a log cabin – on reflection I’m listening to
the album now, I need to book a log cabin and buy a slightly scrated vinyl copy
‘Bright Lanterns’
What do
you expect from Mr.Lanegan except gravelled voiced blues genius and he
delivers, this album is as straightforward dark gritty and raucious as you
would want, I love a good voice and this is one of rocks best. ‘The Gravediggers Song’
One of my
occasional dips into the pool of house beats usually having something to do
with one of the producers of this chunk of house pop brilliance, apparently
recorded after the writer lost his job but wanted to find solice in the joy of
music rather than any misery and postering. There is a real humor to this album
that is cheered on by the warm bobbly sounds that are very uplifting. I have to
pick this track as it could be a genuinely new genre all of its own House-Country ’Time
In Mind’
There are
an increasing amount of artists who make this list purely for my undying love
for them, this album has one of the worst album covers of the year, some of the
themes stretch plausible and they use the sme key and chord sequences and
rhythms I swear they have used 5 times before but I love it, I love the way the
vocal sounds I love the turn of phrase and just the way they put songs together
– nuff said ‘Harlem Roulette’
What with
the late publishing of this list I did have a good look through some popular
best of lists before proceeding with my own even dwelling back onto Pitchfork
media’s website to confirm there wanky idiocy, this album popped up and man am
I sorry I missed it, nobody makes music quite like this, a true shaman of the
blues and of exploration in sound, its hard to pick between individual songs
because this is a cosmic jam you need to be part of so I will put the first
track but I urge you to keep playing ‘Locked
Down’
This was
an instant hit in my ears, there was just something in the production that
appealed to my post punk empty sounding sensibilities a repetitive sound akin to Gang Of Four but
with a hollowed colder sound that seemed to lend the songs with a real sense of
malice. I didn’t listen as much as I would like because album is precisely why
so much Kiss FM was played on the work radio because if I had my way I would
have played this most of the time and as much as Will.I.Am hurts my mind at
least I can comprehend it where as tis sort of thing might have dampened
spirits and made people think they don’t know what music is anymore. ‘Replicate’
Some
people have labbled this album as trite and dull but among the hallows of true
miserabilists we know that that is life and it is actually an album and artist
of rare genuine honesty and aching beauty with some great helping hands on board
this is a gem from an artist on the up and up in my humble opinion I heard a
daming rvview on 6 Music and I hate it whn a outlet you respect disagrees with
you but that’s the power of opinion, quieten the doubters with ‘Serpants’
I
remember the first time I layed my googly beer googled eyes on Natasha Khan an
was transfixed by the beauty of her voice and face, she has gone in interesting
directions with her music career her
last release really turned me off but this is polished accomplished and as the
name suggests haunting in a very digital age. But for all its hipster potential
it is very tender. A new Kate Bush? ‘Laura’
It’s the
boss what more can I say. He’s been very literally jumping on a few bandwagons these
days but he has been doing it with his own sense of style and talent. He’s an
all American hero who sings to the nation and while he became famous for
singing to the grinning masses while times and ride were high now with a
disenfranchised nation The Boss has aimed an album at the hard working nation
the middle American who loves a rallying chorus. ‘Shackled & Drawn’
Im a sucker
for a storyteller so what is there not to love about this band so achingly real
and small that you cant help but listen in a sometimes cosy and sometimes
uncomfortable bubble, maybe it’s the Nottinghamshire connection that sour Midlands way of attacking
storytelling with wry wit and sometimes that bit too much honesty. ‘Show Me Everything’
It was a
airing that set the indie world a flutter, at first it seemed unlikely but when
you think about it it makes erfect sense and it certainly does when you listen.
Byrne is a wry genius but he could be seen as unbalanced and airing his sound
with another forces his creativity and showcases his quirky voice. It’s a great
airing with an interesting and individual result. ‘Who’
This
release was hotly anticipated from the start of the year, Indie kings dropping
a fourth look into the troubled mind of James Mercer, with poor reception for
there last release although I loved it this is back to a form that people love
them for and although Mercer described it as a struggle to write it is a joy to
listen too. Dreamy and delicious ‘For
A Fool’
This band
is super cool for all the right reasons they have been honing their skills ever
forwards to this fourth album where they have expansive style and tight
delivery of complicated and intricate style without coming across as
pretentious or wanky. This is clever music that is well poised in the climate
of taking a tradition and giving it something completely new. ‘Speak In Rounds’
This is
an artist that feeds straight into my love of storytelling and sinning a scene
that we as a listener can soak in. Folk
music is witnessing a resurgence in new forms alternate interpretations but in
many ways this is a pure form, the sounds are quite natural and the voice is so
strong it is hard to ignore. This album speaks to a changing nation both directly
and in an obtuse fashion. ‘Dyin Day’
Quirky
can have a myriad of connotations but when fronted at this artist it can be
coupled with individual, intuitive and original to make it nothing more than a
complete complement. A lot of artists go too far down the quirky path and end
up making their music inaccessible and fall into traps of pretension and far
too often their talent doesn’t keep up with their ideas, this is a line Fiona
Apple has surfed so well they have left us with this fine record showcasing a
strong and original vocal strength with the frailty of a kaleidoscopically
artistic outlook. ‘Daredevil’
Artists
get slated for trudging out songs of the same style but then also get slated
for changing too much. This is not A Richard Hawley album as you might have
come to know them it is a cosmic departure that plays to another side of his
skillset and after you finish languishing over the lack of tender vocal
stylings it is an exceptional and expansive record that is especially great to
drive too. Think the wonderful guitar solo for ‘Sunrise’ by Pulp and you are
tapping into the headspace for this other worldly cosmic offering. ‘Before’
There are
parts of this album that I find quite irritating but the parts that don’t have
that effect more than make up for it. This is spotlessly modern totally en
vogue and overflowing with cool, those could sound like a damming indictment
but with sounds as good as this it feels like pushing things forward a genuine
evolution rather than any type of posturing. I have enjoyed laying this to
others and the mix of the sublime and smooth are so well balanced with the kick
of bass is a revelation. ‘Be A Body’
Its great
to be the only erson in a large audience hearing a song and knowing it, maybe
not for the band who suporting a band can find themselves on a much larger
stage than they are used to but for me it feels like they re laying straight
into your head and with an album this good im sure they layed into some other
eoles earsace as well. Really ersonal anfd fragile sounding songs with a great
shuffle and ubeat twang. ‘I Believe In
Action’
Theres
very few bands that get criticised for the addition of tune to their music but
there are moments in this release that have genuine melody and dare say it
coherent lyrics that are in English. The dark majesty has always been threaded
through the volta’s work but with this clearer sound we can feel the personal
and make stronger connections with the
music,. Don’t get me wrong there is still a maelstrom of anger and swirling
effected guitars with a glance inside
tormente twisted minds. ‘Dyslexicon’
This is
pure punk swagger, gritty tight and the gravelly continuation of the rock and
roll dream, a rock and roll dream that sees the vapid way we fill our lives the
empty hollow ideas in the modern youth and maybe wants to retreat to a simpler
times are pour and spit scorn all over the nonsense of it all. The sound is
dirty the vitriol is pointed at the American dream and it makes for a great ride
for all us punk cynics. Like The Strokes with nails in their throats rather
than frappacino’s . ‘Wailing (Making
Out)’
My
pixie troubadour with his understated rock and roll swagger and his tender
voice that seems to be singing just after a bought of sobbing. Tender and
tugging on those heartstrings is where his voice sits best but he always tends
to play the fallible hero and there is always a sense of the true sadness of
the world and the warm feeling of somebody who enjoys the misery and wallows
quite warmly in it. With the characteristic sounds and images this is M.Ward
through and through. ‘The First Time I
Ran Away’
Another chance to envelop
myself in roughly the umbrella of house music because here are a band that come
at that set of sounds with a real sense of humour that distracts from the usual
bunch of soulless buffoons who bleep and whoop under its name. There is such an
80’s reticent hanging over this release taking all the addictive and glitzy
parts of that sound without the embarrassing parts and the cringe worthy nature. The core of the success is the mix of dance
ethic and lyrical poetry that is intelligent and poigniant but never taken too
seriously. ‘Don’t Deny Your Heart’
A lot of
people are describing this as a much more mature sound for the band now they
may have known them for longer than me but I can only say it works and it’s a
stunning record. Sometimes sounding like a campfire song for tired cowboys the
sound can quickly expand but always has a simplicity at the heart that lends .
I have the image of a cowboy heartthrob singing his heart out into a simple tin
box and then we have one of my favourite singles of the year. ‘Heartbreaker’
Seeing
this band grow in popularity has been a double edged sword for me, still in
love with their storytelling and midland straight talk mixed with poetry that
makes Guy Garvey a national treasure in my eyes. On the other hand their music
is now more of a draw to the stadiums I am now watching them play in and the
songs that I first loved are no longer making set lists and the dark edges of
the band are all but brightened by curtains thrown wide. But then this B-sides
collection surfaced from nowhere and showed me that this group still have a
love for the slow the subtle and the dreamy sound of Trip-Hop and a more subtle
storytelling. If this had been an album release of a band going back to their
roots rather than a B-sides collection of the type of songs they are unlikely
to release again then it would be closer to the top of my list but I will
listen with keen ears and keep hoping that ‘Newborn’ or ‘Powder Blue’ will one day make it back to the live arenas. ‘Lucky
With Disease’
Top ten
entry two years running, I like a productive band and after an explosive debut they quickly deliver a piece of straight to
the point rock that is British quirky and drawing on a rich tradition to shout rousing
angst over jangly guitars. There’s a wry
wit and cooing honesty that rings out to the self-deprecating masses and tell
the tales of youth with all the cynicism and fun that has to offer. ‘I Always Knew’
This
is this group’s tour de force as they have honed their skills and formed a
cohesive group capable of delivering work that is mammoth in its scope and
enormous in its sound. Tight, tight, tight in the performance with production
that really utilises this skill to beautifully produced effect. The wall of
sound that swoops to envelop the galloping piano lines . For all the pomp and
grandiose effect there are still moments of the small and intricate and some
fast paced rockers that are hard to ignore just like ‘Pelican’
In Part
the sound of Bill Callahan with his voice so pure it could make a wolverine
purr and at part the slow deliberate sound of Tindersticks this album is equal
parts heart breaking and heart-warming. Slow paced and deliberate with use of
staccato strings that differentiates against the swoon of the deeper rich sound
of the same instruments. The music is in essence simple and grows as the songs
build upon themselves with the vocals
appearing from nowhere making them effortless and welcome, knowing and
telling. This is one of the most subtle
album of the year which has a beautiful
effect on the soul. ‘Mr.Met’
Had to be
the catchiest single of the year, when I heard ‘Default’ I danced and I have
done every time I have heard it since and the rest of the album continues with
such a sense of movement and ingenuity that it deserves all the eager fans they
have gained tis year. The album is challenging and changeable but it is also
sharp stylish and thoroughly danceable and groovy it calls to mind other
Scottish rockers like The Beta Band who’s experiments with the fringes of
psychadelia have started a movement that creates a Celtic groove that has much
to show us. ‘Default’
New
classifications and sub-genres of music pop up from year to year, they
disappear just so quickly which doesn’t necessarily mean that music fitting the
initial descriptions of that sub-genre isn’t still made but that we just aren’t
calling it that anymore. Dream-Pop is a term that has been bandied about a lot
this year and I wasn’t so sure that I liked it until I heard this album that
seemed to define the definitions while simultaneously pushing it further. This
duo create huge sounds that are playgrounds for beautiful melody, the
counterpointing of the strong sexy baritone at the bottom spectrum and the
coohing ahhh’s at the ethereal top end create that dreamlike sound that lend to
the classification. Atmospheric and enthralling with polish and style that make
this album quite intoxicating. ‘Lazuli’
& ‘Other People’
Two years
since their last much less critically acclaimed album and this group of Perth Psychedelic
rockers have retreated and given us a hyped up freak out that has bite and some
sounds that you might have never thought would leave this album so close to the
to of so many lists this year. Usually playing bare foot and with the look of a
look of the x rated extras for a Austin Powers party scene these die hard
rockers and riff fiends have given us a real trip into their world and had us
all on the edge of our seats for those of us with long hair giving us
validation as we let it down and sway to the irrepressible mood of psychadelia.
‘Feels Like We Only Go Backwards’
& ‘Elephant’
This is
for me a perfect post-punk record and contains points of genuine anger that
always have me leaping for the ‘Like’ button. Some of the lyrical posturing
sets this album up as such a dark call to the disenfranchised that it is an
echoing reminder of all the broken promises we have made to our youth – Kurt
Cobain wanted to show our pretty little lives to be as empty and vapid as they
truly were and here Dylan Baldi just wants to scream in guttural desperation how he thought he
would be worth more than this and that as we fall in line we show how pointless
we have become – cheery stuff The heavy sound in these songs is well produced
and engineered to give a real atmosphere, like the pounding Bass that is
reminiscent of QOTSA or the clean and frantic guitar riffing of so many preppy
punkish guitar bands – in parts clever and disturbing this is a perfect full
stop to the decision that despite the tweed jackets and increasingly expensive
taste in wine I am still a Punk. This year turn it up loud award and two great
tracks that cut from wallowing in noise based enormity to tight and controlled
with cut throat precision. ‘Wasted
Days’ & ‘Fall In
There are
some types of music that I love, that I think are such bases for all other
forms of musical expression that they should never be ignored one of these is
the deep sexuality and swarve cool and style of soul music. Unfortunately for
me the masters of this genre are not of my generation which of course doesn’t
seclude me from appreciating their music but I didn’t have chance to discover
them to take them to heart and make them part of my quest for the new – this
album solves that problem and gives us a piece of work that is enthralling as
it is incredibly well made as sparkling brand new as it built on the fine
tradition of soul music. Frank Ocean may have appeared to have appeared out of
nowhere but he has developing his style while working behind the scenes and
working with some of his games top artists and mentors on his first solo
release he is already a true new voice that balances enough urban music clout
to give him real cred with enough tender honesty to pull at even the most
hardened indie pop hacks heartstrings. The is a phenomenal flow to the album
and a diversity that nods heads to so many branches of the urban music spectrum
it becomes an homage to the genre itself. ‘Super
Rich Kids’ ‘Forrest Gump’
What
can I say about this album that hasn’t been said
already except to declare
my gushing love for what they have created. When I read Pitchfork Media’s review of this album which was the only less
than favourable words I have seen printed or heard said I refused to go back to
that site again as I have never disagreed with something more completely, I
felt glad to be British and not obsessed with cool so I can fully appreciates
and soak myself in the complicated yet subtle piece of genuine British
ingenuity. This is art-school rock that
has been thought about to every detail but also a group who seem to be happy in
their own sound as is evident in the interlude soundscapes that link the album
rather than fragment it. For me it is the interaction between the vocal and the
guitar lines that make this album a stand out success with harmonies building
like British madrigals and then dropping into guitar lines with bite and
vigour. The songs have a dark edge and an intelligent wit that make them so
appealing to an English Gent such as myself, I’m glad that Pitchfork don’t like
it they can have their Kendrick Lamar and their Mix tapes and we will keep this
evolutionary rock that is s subsinct as it is expansive. ‘Breezeblocks’ &
‘MS’
Well here’s hoping for more great music in 2013 and hopefully
some more time to listen to it and write about it, saying that it’s the 21st
now and I have already listened to one album more than likey to make this list
in a years time. Hope you are all well and are looking forward tonew and
exciting things. Pace and Love
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