Tuesday 16 December 2014

My Favourite Albums of 2014: Part 2

OK then, onwards we go. Unless you missed the first part, in which case you can catch up here.

Before getting my albums countdown back under way, I thought I'd give a brief mention of some of the tracks I've enjoyed, aside from what I'm mentioning in my albums countdown of course.


Honourable Mentions (Tracks)

  • SBTRKT feat. Ezra Koenig- "New Dorp. New York": Pure badassery on display here, that visceral throb in the beat sounds like the heartbeat of a demon. Meanwhile Vampire Weekend's Koenig partakes in some bewitching word play ("Gargoyles gargling oil", "Flags Flapping in Manhattan") and some feverish MJ style vocals that leave you expecting a "Ch'mon-AH" at the end ("MAH girl got a lim-o-zeeen!").
  • Johnny Marr - "Easy Money"/"Dynamo": I'm surprised that it's taken Johnny so long to released a disco stomper like "Easy Money" considering he named his son after Nile Rodgers. It perhaps caught those expecting him to just retread ground he covered with The Smiths by surprise (we have Morrissey to do that for us anyway) but for the rest of us it was one of the most instantly likeable songs of the year. The soaring guitars of "Dynamo" also make it the most beautiful tribute I've heard to such a boring building.
  • Flying Lotus feat. Kendrick Lamar - "Never Catch Me": FlyLo's Thom Yorke style jazz infusion take on hip hop never really clicked with me, but I was delighted that Kendrick came and filled that missing piece of the puzzle on this track, keeping things slick when they could have meandered off. It's a shame his album didn't make it out this year, the pretty swish Isley Brothers rework "i" being the only glimpse we got.
  • Little Dragon - "Paris": Again, Little Dragon still feel like there's one piece of the puzzle they need to find before I fall unreservedly in love with them, but singer Yukimi Nagano is definitely a keeper. This year's album Nabuma Rubberland was littered with gems including this one. Keys and synths feel like raindrops on a window, and Yukimi's delivery shines as always ("There's an angel knocking on my window; Tryna tell me where to go next").
  • Future Islands - "Seasons (Waiting On You)": Unlike most of the internet I'm not totally enamoured with Future Islands, but this song is undoubtedly ace. Heartfelt with excellent synth and bass work that drives all the way through to the chorus. Still doesn't excuse Samuel T Herring's dodgy crab dancing. I just don't buy him as the second coming of David Byrne, sorry.





Now back to my favourite albums...


5. Alvvays - Alvvays




Big, fuzzy indie pop has long been a love of mine, as have bands who play with a happy, pleasant sound masking slightly less happy subject matter. Alvvays (pronounced Always, the double v is to make them Google-able) not only tick all those boxes but completely fill them in from edge to edge in ink.

The production is spot on, with tonnes of echo from Molly Rankin's vocals and heaps of haze surrounding the instrumentation, as if you're hearing the band in a dream. The guitar work is very chirpy and never fails to leave me feeling like I'm floating on a cloud. The band themselves nearly put it best with the line "Floating through a dream; I never could make out the words you said."

Although that last part is not quite true. There's lots of terrific thoughts on highly relate-able anxieties; longing to make a good first impression in "Adult Diversion" ("If I should fall act as though it never happened") and living in mutual denial with someone you clearly love in "The Agency Group" ("When you whisper you don't think of my that way; When I mention you don't mean that much to me") being two prime examples.

The biggest triumph here though is feel good hit of the summer "Archie, Marry Me", a satire on the pressure young couples feel to get married ("They're talking about us living in sin") - but only if it's a big wedding they can't afford. Even so, there are moments that perfectly captures that feeling of devotion and joy of being with that special someone, and the music behind it is just as joyous. The bit in the second verse where the guitar fuzz goes into overdrive and the bass line takes a walk is just magical, and the air-punching enthusiasm of the "HEY HEY"s of the chorus is inescapable.
The perfect reminder of everything I love about guitar pop. 

Download: "Archie, Marry Me", "Next Of Kin", "The Agency Group"





4. Sharon Van Etten - Here We Are




Cathartic and beautiful, this record sees Sharon open up and give one of the most emotionally honest records you'll come across. The assurance and growth she shows here is remarkable.

Sure, it's another break up record in a world full of them, but what Sharon brings to the table her is one of the most incredible voices in music today. I'm paraphrasing here, but I remember reading someone explain how people loved Johnny Cash because when he sang, you believed him. For me, that is the best way to describe what Sharon's voice is like: when you hear her, you believe and feel for her. When she pleads "I NEED you to be afraid of nothing" on the opener, her voice almost cracking on "NEED", you really feel how much she needs it. Her heartache becomes your heartache, and this is certainly a heartbreaking record.

There is a will to do better - "Tell me if there's something I can change; Recall I know what a sanctuary is" (the utterly captivating "I Love You But I'm Lost"), "I will meet you on your street; I won't let you down" (the delightful "Nothing Will Change"), but even in moments of bliss like the tender "Our Love" (the subject of the best remix of the year from The Juan Mclean), there is an uncertainty ("Still don't know what I have found").

Two tracks key to the tone of the album are the dramatic "Your Love Is Killing Me" and the defeatist yet anthemic "Every Time The Sun Comes Up".
The former is a tremendous showcase for Sharon's voice, soaring over huge keys and drums and starkly describing how desperately she wants to avoid her pain ("Burn my skin so I can't feel you; Stab my eyes so I can't see you").
The latter has such a beautiful chorus, and again fantastic drum work, as it gives a very minimal account of how Sharon feels she can do no right, including the frank line "I washed your dishes but I shit in your bathroom". It felt a clunker at first but I think I see where she's coming from now, as if she's saying "No matter what good I can do you, I will always be a burden".
Musically, though, she is the exact opposite of a burden and a truly remarkable artist.

Download: "Your Love Is Killing Me", "Nothing Will Change", "Every Time The Sun Comes Up"



3. The War On Drugs - Lost In The Dream




Few album titles offer a more fitting description of the music featured than what The War On Drugs decided to christen their third album, which by all accounts appears to be a breakthough success. There's an ethereal, other worldliness to Lost In The Dream that makes it feel like a journey of understanding, meandering through towards clarity, losing and gaining and your grip on reality. Oh, and it's also one of the best rock records of the year.

Opener "Under The Pressure" gives a clear indication of what's to come. This is a record where space and build are crucial in helping you form a connection to the world you're being sent to, and over its near 9 minute run time this opening salvo makes a strong impression. Nearly a third of its run time is taken up by drip feeding the closing moments of the song, making it feel like it's fading into the fog. Plenty of its best devices reoccur throughout the album.

The drum loops that kick things off later form the heartbeat of "Disappearing" and the show stopping "An Ocean Between The Waves", which also builds anticipation and intensity masterfully. Closing track "In Reverse"uses a similar approach, with the initial guitar parts feeling like the ripples from a stone being skipped across the water, before the brilliant chorus begins to drive the song home ("And I don't mind you disappearing; Because I know you can be found").
Also present throughout the album is some really sweet use of the tenor saxophone, especially on the beautiful "Eyes To The Wind" ("I'm just a bit run down here at the moment; Let me think about it babe") and the gentle anguish of "Suffering".

What's really impressive about this record is the sequencing and how the sparser moments are used to heighten the impact of its biggest, most driven rock songs. "Red Eyes" is one of the best rock singles of the year and feels like a real thunderbolt coming after "Under The Pressure" fades away. Meanwhile "The Haunting Idle" is basically just a three minute intro to the magnificent "Burning", a synth rock monster that owes a great deal to Born In The U.S.A. era Springsteen. The sugar rush of the second verse bringing the backing vocals in is just sublime ("WHEN YOU RELEASE ME FROM YOUR HEART AGAIN! WOO!"), and puts me in mind of Bruce & Steve getting into it. On the flip side, the stunning title track puts me in mind of modern day Bruce and is one of the most touching moments on the record.
Leaps and bounds ahead of the game, The War On Drugs deserve the success this album has brought.

Download: "Red Eyes", "An Ocean In Between The Waves", "Lost In The Dream"





2. Broken Records - Weights And Pulleys



Broken Records and I go way back. Getting championed by Planet Sound's John Earls is always a good way of getting my attention. In fact I remember they were so thrilled at making PS's Top Singles of the year list in 2008 that they posted a big spoiler, putting the full list up before PS themselves had revealed it, which I promptly pointed out to them on Myspace (remember that?). More recently my Mum somehow wound up posting on their Facebook page about how there was a microwave on offer in Asda, thinking she was talking to me. God, parents eh?

Anyway long story short I love Broken Records. I've always felt they are Britain's answer to Arcade Fire, and the four year(!) wait for a follow up to Let Me Come Home has felt like an eternity. Thankfully they're back to fill that void they left in my life, with a record of great variety, verve and vigour.

You'd think things had peaked early on with the blistering "Winterless Son", with every iota of the band's vast instrumentation firing ahead at full force, the impact being even greater for following opener "Ditty (We Weren't Ready)" with its unique percussion and ace weepy guitars. "Toska" then follows things with the keys and strings dominating proceedings. This is what's great about having such a strong line up of musicians, it gives you so many options to go in so many different directions. All of which are tied together by singer Jamie Sutherland's brilliant delivery - I've always admired singers who can keep their native accent in their voice and Jamie is no different, instantly making all those Scottish artists who sing in a yanky twang sound like knobs.

We then get guitars ringing out like sirens on "So Long, So Late", with added "Cuyhaoga" references ("Well the river it did not burn, but these towns are still dead and gone") and the delightful title track with its infectious hand claps and "I'm On Fire" style "Woah-oh-oah"s. Proceedings then mostly flip between break neck rockers like "Let's Call It A Betrayal" and the fantastic "I Won't Leave You In The Dark" (with an absolutely glorious performance from the horns section at the closing sequence, including a huge feel-good sax break worthy of the Clemons family name) and gentler missives like "You'll Be Lonely In A Little While", but the energy levels and passion never drop whatsoever right to the very end of closing ballad "All Else Can Just Wait".
Well, maybe not all else. I don't want to wait another four years for the next one please guys! Oh, and thank you for the Christmas single.

Download: "Winterless Son", "Toska", "I Won't Leave You In The Dark"




1. Rosanne Cash - The River & The Thread





Despite what the Nashville episode of Foo Fighters' "Sonic Highways" will have you believe, there's fucking loads of great country music at the moment. I've already mentioned Sturgill Simpson and Lydia Loveless, but this year also saw the excellent Colfax by The Delines, First Aid Kit's major label debut Stay Gold, Platinum by Miranda Lambert, Tarpaper Sky by Rodney Cromwell and Terms Of My Surrender by John Hiatt to mention but a few.

But beyond question the cream of the crop came from a true member of country music royalty. For me personally this was the most richly rewarding listening experience of the year. I can't claim to be an expert in Rosanne's work. The only other album of hers I own being previous effort The List, but I get the sense listening to this record that this is the most secure she's been in her identity in a long while, and no doubt this exploration of her southern roots is the main driving force behind that.

The travels and travails of the South have inspired a vivid picture of Memphis, Mississippi and Florence and living with the legacy of her roots, but still maintains that unquantifiable warmth that comes from being home. No where is this warmth more evident that on the gorgeous "Etta's Tune", a touching tribute to her father's former bassist Marshall Grant and his wife Etta. "What's the temperature, darling?" Cash coos, as she recounts a tale of devotion ("I travelled for a million mile while you were standing still") and an apparent acceptance of the end ("Don't stare into the past; There was nothing we could change or fix, it was never going to last").

There's an inescapable draw that comes from home, which comes to the fore of the zippy "Modern Blue" - not even Paris or Barcelona can overturn the pull of your roots. Fruitless attempts to avoid the call of home crop up again on the revelatory "A Feather's Not A Bird", as Rosanne bemoans "I took the long way home just to wind up in your arms" with expert delivery. Seriously, she can show more strength and depth of character in one line or phrase than other artist do in entire songs.

"A Feather's Not A Bird" is also a shining example of the other central theme of the album; reaffirming identity. This carries over to the cheery "50,000 Watts" ("We'll be who we are, and not who we were") as well as the poetic "World Of Strange Design", featuring a lovely nod to her father ("Now I'm a jewel in the shade of his weeping willow tree"). The best exploration of this theme, though is in Civil War tale "When The Master Calls The Roll", as Cash uses the story of the war derailing the courtship of two young lovers to express the conflict of love of her home and shame over the war, with some real heart-twinging lines ("I will never travel back to her; But not for lack of trying").
A true masterpiece that stands shoulder to shoulder with her father's best for sure.

Download: "A Feather's Not A Bird", "Etta's Tune", "When The Master Calls The Roll"




Are you still here? Oh good, well you've lasted the whole way, yay! Just remains to say have a wonderful Christmas and all the best for New Year.



Sunday 14 December 2014

My Favourite Albums of 2014: Part 1


2014 has been full of musical memories for me. From Bruce Springsteen in an Australian winery to Jason Isbell at Gorilla getting the loudest most appreciative reception I've ever heard at a club sized gig. From breaking the 900 mark on my 1001 albums challenge to volunteering at the Hooked On Music results event.
I adore music and I'm always on the lookout for something new to discover, so I always love "End of Year List" season. Especially now that my favourite music magazine The Fly has closed down, I really appreciate excellent end of year round ups like those from Piccadilly Records and American Songwriter that help me catch up on anything interesting that's previously escaped my attention.

Of course, as usual, I thought I'd stick my oar in and mention the music I enjoyed over the past twelve months. These are the albums that I don't necessarily feel are the best ten records of the year, just the ones I've gained the most personal enjoyment out of. As always, I'll split this in two, I'll talk about my favourite five in my next entry. Before I kick things off, here are some albums that didn't quite make the cut but I couldn't go without mentioning.


Honourable Mentions

  • Hiss Golden Messenger - Lateness Of Dancers: Wonderfully atmospheric folk from North Carolina's MC Taylor and Scott Hirsch. A record of marvellous warmth and immersion, it comes out of the gates with its best song, "Lucia", a beautifully arranged song with echoes of Dylan's "Tangled Up In Blue" in its chorus.
  • The Juan McLean - In A Dream: Funky, punky dance from the DFA veteran, now featuring LCD Soundsystem alumnus Nancy Whang in a permanent role. New Order meets Italo-disco. 
  • Royal Blood - Royal Blood: The fastest selling rock debut in years, Royal Blood have fired an important shot in rock's attempt to reclaim Top 40 radio after the era of "landfill indie". The two piece from Brighton are raucous and riff heavy, filled with the spirit of Zeppelin and louder than what you think two people would be capable of. "Come On Over" and "Little Monster" are two of the stand out singles of the year.
  • Sturgill Simpson - Metamodern Sounds In Country Music: Only of the most imaginative voices in country I've heard in a long time. Simpson's voice sounds like Willie Nelson and Glen Campbell somehow had a secret love child, singing about attempting to come out of his drug fuelled haze with something wonderful like "Turtles All The Way Down" and "Long White Line".
So Bruce had a busy year. High Hopes was really a place for previously homeless songs to go, so it didn't quite have the coherence of some of his other albums (and no, Rolling Stone, it certainly wasn't the second best album released all year!) but this will always remind me of Australia. Plus there were still some real gems here.
The Celtic feel to "This Is Your Sword" reminiscent of previous album Wrecking Ball, the knock-about cheer of "Frankie Fell In Love" (who can resist a song that talks of "Einstein and Shakespeare, sittin' having a beer"?) and the sparse, touching version of Suicide's "Dream Baby Dream" are all excellent.  But head and shoulders above everything is the beautiful "Hunter Of Invisible Game", a brilliant post-apocalyptic ballad that really capture that feeling of chasing something intangible, hoping things turn your way.


The follow up EP American Beauty will also hold a dear place in my heart as my first ever purchase at a Record Store Day, the quietly seething "Hey Blue Eyes" being the highlight.

OK then, on with the countdown!


10. Interpol - El Pintor


The past few years have been frustrating for an Interpol fan. 2010's eponymous album chased its own tail far too much and drove uber-cool bassist Carlos D away in boredom. Such behaviour only encouraged bollocks opinions like "Murgh they haven't done anything good since Turn On The Bright Lights" from people who seem to forget that some of their best singles came from Antics.

In fact, El Pintor (notice the anagram) puts this listener immediately in mind of Antics with its pace and how most songs are arranged to sound like singles.

It's hard to imagine a better statement of intent for your comeback than lead single and album opener "All The Rage Back Home", sounding livelier than anything from their previous album. Equally propulsive is the sparky "Anywhere", while even relatively gentler songs like "My Desire" culminate in some great guitar work. Singer Paul Banks took over bass duties when Carlos left, and he does a great job of keeping the flow of the song going without overshadowing the focal guitar play, such as on the aforementioned "My Desire" and the terrific "Everything Is Wrong". Another song that makes the future of the band seem very promising is "Tidal Wave", a song that rumbles along before washing over you like its namesake.

After years of little or poor direction, it seems like Interpol have got their shit back together, which is a good thing for all of us.

Download: "All The Rage Back Home", "Everything Is Wrong", "Tidal Wave"




9. Lydia Loveless - Somewhere Else


It's a shame Lydia Loveless has seemed to escape most people's attention on their end of year lists. I know there are lots of strong female acts in country these days but Lydia does more than enough to warrant attention, with her use of louder arrangements on her songs infusing a punk edge to her sound kind of like how Frank Turner has somehow managed to apply punk principles to folk.

Her fiery voice is reminiscent of a young Lucinda Williams or Natalie Maines, and further enhances the (already strong) character of her songs. She knows when to sing with a sense of being wronged (the title track) and coming to terms with past mistakes such as on  "Chris Issak", which contains the bluntly confessional line "When I was seventeen I'd follow you around with my head jammed way up your ass".

The more carnal her subject matter, the more she seems to excel. "To Love Somebody" ("Oh honey, let me melt in your mouth tonight"), "Wine Lips" ("Go tell your momma that my French has finally improved") all talk of desire to varying degree of subtlety, only for the excellent singalong "Head" to dispose of subtlety or pretence entirely. Whatever the subject there's a rawness to her delivery and wording that is truly refreshing, and this is reflected most in the heartbreaking "Everything's Gone" ("Well, I swore I’d never be this bitter again; But some years have passed... I thought I'd be OK without a home if I just had grace") and the title track ("I waved the flag for the home team too long; Then again, things ain’t looking too good on the other side").
A standout voice in country music today.

Download: "Wine Lips", "Head", "Somewhere Else"




8. Elbow - The Take Off And Landing Of Everything


Elbow have long been favourites of mine. Since breakthrough album The Seldom Seen Kid the band have worked hard to tread the fine line required not to just ape "One Day Like This", and with perhaps the exception of "New York Morning" they succeed in droves here.

Taking inspiration stylistically from first album Asleep In The Back, there's a more experimental feel to proceedings here. Looking backwards to move forwards doesn't always yield worthy results, but this approach has certainly worked here. In the nostalgic "My Sad Captains" the band have unearthed another moment that makes you cherish those amongst you, while the skittish "Charge" opens up a whole new direction for the band. The scratchy, minimal guitars work in tandem with Guy Garvey's bitter lyrics ("And Glory be, these fuckers are ignoring me") bemoaning his advancing years ("I'm from another century") and living in fear of what he could become ("I am the die hard with an empty dance card propping up a young bar").

Indeed there is a lot of soul searching on this record, most likely prompted by Guy coming out of a long term relationship. The lyrics are littered with talk of past love: "While three chambers of my heart beat true and strong with love for another; The fourth is yours forever" ("This Blue World"), "She and I won't find another me and her" ("Honey Sun"). It is the title track that makes the most of this heartache though. The horns at the start feel like a call to take flight, and the vocal harmonies as the song reaches its climax are an utter delight, as the lyrics in between seem to indicate there's an acceptance from both parties that it's time to move on ("Patiently listen as dull reminiscences fall from my jaw in a jumble again", "Leaving your lips as we took to the sky").
More, please.

Download: "Charge", "My Sad Captains", "The Take Off And Landing Of Everything"





7. Bob Mould - Beauty & Ruin


This is the crown jewel of what's been a great year for mega-indie label Merge (which also released ace albums by Hiss Golden Messenger and Ex-Hex amongst others) as former Sugar and Husker Du singer Bob Mould delivers a blistering pop rocker.

A man with Mould's legacy might be tempted to feel burdened or beholden by his previous work, but certainly neither of these appear to be the case here. The opening slow burning dirge of "Low Season" morphs into the belting "Little Glass Pill" in a terrific opening sequence. It may or may not be a Matrix analogy, but either way its conclusion should prepare you to take a trip down the rabbit hole Alice, and expect it to be at full throttle too.

The break neck "Kid With The Crooked Face" and "Hey, Mr. Grey" sees him fly through what he made famous with Husker Du without any inhibition, while taking a look at his most famous work with Sugar and deciding "You know what? I can top that" has lead to arguably the year's best single in "I Don't Know You Anymore". It's exactly what he does best - thoroughly irresistible, tremendously catchy and a total sugar rush with a bittersweet reflective edge to it. That reflective outlook also informs other standout moments on the album such as the masterful "The War" and the inspired "Fire In The City" (complete with "Everlong" style elongated riffs at the final bridge).
An utter delight.

Download: "I Don't Know You Any More", "The War", "Fire In The City"





6. Ryan Adams - Ryan Adams


Usually it really bugs me when an artist releases an eponymous album midway through their careers, but in this case it feels pretty apt, as if Ryan has opened up and gone through a rejuvenation. Much like Jenny Lewis has done on The Voyager (which he produced, and is another treat), Adams seems to have taken stock and taken a concise attitude in how to move forward with their sound.

It was certainly enough to catch my attention and bring me to this album. I've never really felt like I've been on Ryan's wavelength but hearing "Gimme Something Good" on the radio this summer had my ears burning. I didn't believe it was him at first, it was so loose and immediately gratifying, with the highly sonorous riffs coming out of his guitar feeling like a beacon of light  cutting through the fog of his other material.

Much of the formula of "Gimme Something Good" is carried over to the album itself. The big guitar sound which comes from drawing something more considered and emotive out of devices considered out of fashion by some is littered everywhere (and is also well illustrated in his version of Foreigner's "I Want To Know What Love Is"). They ring out like alarms on "Stay With Me", pulse with absolute menace on "I Just Might" and jangle resignedly on "Tired Of Giving Up". Although having said that, acoustic track "My Wrecking Ball" is also one of the album's biggest delights.
The lyrics are pared down to bare essentials, "Am I Safe" ("Every day my heart beats like a stone; Carries me away into the undertow") and "Trouble" ("Seven years bad luck is better than none") are perhaps the best at utilising immediacy to betray their subject's paranoia.

I think in terms of music this could be my "gateway drug" in appreciating Adams' work. An honest and rewarding listen.

Download: "Trouble", "My Wrecking Ball", "Feels Like Fire"



Keep your eyes peeled for part two soon!

Tuesday 9 December 2014

1001 Albums Update - 911 And Counting!


Right then people, things are getting serious now! I'm now down to double figures as far as how many albums I have left goes, which is actually pretty scary. It probably means my updates will be less frequent & in depth, as many of the albums I have left are ones I've been unable to find on streaming services.

In addition to making my way through these albums (mostly from the 80s, as I'm sure you'll be able to tell!), I've also been making my way to a few gigs recently. Firstly I saw The War On Drugs at The Ritz and they were simply incredible. They played a well thought out set that kept the crowd dancing, littered with highlights from this year's Lost In The Dream album (more on that soon)



Then there was the glorious Sharon Van Etten at Manchester Cathedral. The venue was magnificent and such a great match for Sharon's voice. I was just in awe of delivery and looking into her eyes you could see how much the songs in her set meant to her.


Right, onto what I heard this time around.
  • Steve Winward - Arc Of A Diver: Pretty interesting listen. His voice was quite like Peter Gabriel, and then by the time "Spanish Dancer" rolled around things were sounding like Kraftwerk.
  • The Go Gos - Beauty And The Beat: Really zesty, punky stuff here. Lots of choppy guitars and cool dancey numbers like "Our Lips Are Sealed", "Lust To Love" and "We Got The Beat".
  • Motorhead - No Sleep 'Til Hammersmith 
Just as intense as you'd expect, this live album is as good a gateway into Motorhead's stuff as you'll find (if you can tell the songs apart that is). "The Hammer", "Overkill" and "Over The Top" are all thunderous. And of course "Ace Of Spades" is here. Plus listening to this album instead of going to a Motorhead show has the added benefit of not having to look at Lemmy's warts.

  • The Human League - Dare!
Here's something to set your 80's klaxons off! Everybody and their dog knows what a classic singalong "Don't You Want Me" is, but there's so much more quality on offer here. While highly camp, the synths have aged remarkably well, penultimate track "Love Action (I Believe in Love)" is a corker and opener "The Things That Dreams Are Made Of" maintains the "belt out the chorus at the top of your lungs" spirit of the album's most famous track. Thoroughly enjoyable.
  • Bobby Womack - The Poet
It seemed like Bobby Womack was an underappreciated gem of soul music before Damon Albarn gave him some terrific direction in his later years. A great shame. Bobby really got into the a very disco feel with the very busy beats and chanting vocals of "Secrets" (Owes a tip of the cap to "The Secret Life of Arabia" by David Bowie too from the sounds of it), while the high class ballad "If You Think You're Lonely Now" has a great, slow, tender groove to it.
  • ABBA - The Visitors 
It's funny how both of the ABBA albums on this list are rather lacking in their most famous songs. "One Of Us" is the only semi-recognisable track on here for me, and that's just because my Mum and Dad used to change the lyrics to "One of us has farted". Still, if you enjoy typical ABBA this will still be a rewarding listen with "Under Attack" and "The Day Before You Came" standing out.
  • ABC - The Lexicon Of Love: It may have the erratic thrills of "The Look Of Love (Part One)" (seriously, the question-answer section of the vocals on that song is some top class cheese), but there was little else worthy of your attention here.
  • The Birthday Party - Junkyard 
I've mentioned on numerous occasions what a fan of Nick Cave I am, so to hear him in his pre-Bad Seeds days was intriguing, if not exactly rewarding. The Birthday Party sounded like nothing more than noise merchants here, and Cave's lyrical imagery was very much pushed to the background. Bit disappointing really.
  • Malcolm McLaren - Duck Rock: Malcolm was inspired to make this record by visits to Africa, which was certainly evident on the likes of "Double Dutch" and "Jive My Baby". Pretty good. Also as someone who grew up hearing lots of Eminem hearing "Buffalo Gals" is very surreal.
 
  • Hanoi Rocks - Back To Mystery City: Another good old high octane listen, a bit like The Saints in the way they utilise horns such as on "Malibu Beach Nightmare". "Ice Cream Summer" proved to be the real standout though.
  • Cyndi Lauper - She's So Unusual: Another decade defining artist, "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" and "Time After Time" are synonymous with the rise of MTV and the change in how music connected with young people. Also check out "Money Changes Everything" and "I'll Kiss You".
  • Meat Puppets - II: Anybody who adores Nirvana's MTV Unplugged album will be taken aback to find so much that's familiar here."Plateau", "Oh, Me" and "Lake Of Fire" all made appearances in Nirvana's set, and listening here makes it obvious why this record appealed to Cobain. Stark lyrics and sharp guitars abound.
  • Run DMC - Run DMC: The Jason Nevins remix of "It's Like That" was practically inescapable during my childhood so to hear it in its original glory was really cool. It was the last song in a really good run mid-album with "Hollis Crew" and "Sucker MCs" preceding it.
  • Cocteau Twins - Treasure, Heaven Or Las Vegas
I've had a few people tell me over the years that these guys might be to my tastes, so I was looking forward to hearing from them. Imagine my disappointment when I found I hate them vociferously! Their voices are nigh on unintelligible and persistent like rashes, sounding like a pair of birds competing to be heard or a set of meerkats calling for their mates. Their musical accompaniment is trying so hard to be like The Cure it might as well be screaming "WASN'T FASCINATION STREET AN AMAZING SONG!?!" and felt totally substandard. Blurgh.
  • Tina Turner - Private Dancer 
Tina Turner is just a force of nature. I played "Show Some Respect" and I thought all the glass in my room was going to shatter. That song also had some ace Otis style "Gotta gotta"s too. There was a lot of Tina just cutting loose with other people's material, including an interesting take on David Bowie's "1984". The biggest highlight though? "WHAAAAAT'S LOOOOVE GOTTA DO! GOTTA DO WITH ITTT!"


  • Minutemen - Double Nickels On The Dime 
Seemed like these guys were trying very hard to live up to there name. You'll struggle to find anything above two minutes here, I mean it was like they were trying to make a Ramones song look like a Christopher Nolan movie in comparison. There are still a few shouty, sparky gems including "Corona" which I swear was the Jackass theme tune. Also check out the cheeky "#1 Hit Song" and the Pavement-ish "Dr. Wu".
  • Youssou N'Dour - Immigres: Such a cheery album, really welcome to hear. "Taaw" was lovely.
  • A-Ha - Hunting High And Low: Fucking yes! Judge me all you want, but I'm just going to sit here and sing "Take On Me" and "The Sun Always Shines On TV" to myself.
  • Kate Bush - Hounds Of Love, The Sensual World
Another pair I've been really heavily anticipating hearing. Unlike The Cocteau Twins, Kate didn't leave me disappointed. 
I get the feeling people don't talk enough about how good The Sensual World is. Again, there were a fair few Peter Gabriel like moments here, like "Love And Anger", in the way that the vocals would build up and the really aggressive riff in the chorus being counterbalanced by the choir. "Rocket's Tail" is quite similar, starting off  with very Celtic like vocals before a dirty great guitar riff cuts through the air and then the vocals got seriously mental near the climax, like Xena developed a stammer. Of course, in "This Woman's Work" it contained one of the stand out moments from Kate's whole career, proof that even without her artsy-leanings she could be utterly captivating.



Having said that, Hounds Of Love is definitely my favourite. That opening run of "Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)", the title track and the pure joy of "The Big Sky" is seriously tough to beat. Although she inevitable does top it all with "Cloudbusting", which has fast become my favourite song of hers. Her voice is a pure delight, those strings leave me with such a blissful feeling, and the way the percussion drives things through on the choruses and echo the pitter-patter of rainfall to reflect the theme of the lyrics ("I wake up crying, You're making rain, And you're just in reach, When you and sleep escape me"). Categorically one of this country's essential artists.


  • Anita Baker - Rapture: Heavenly voice, quasi-title track "Caught Up In The Rapture" is a delight, while "Sweet Love" is one of the all time classic ballads.
  • Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt, Emmylou Harris - Trio 
Hard to escape the feeling these three were born to sing together. Anybody who's heard Emmylou's take on Dolly's "Coat Of Many Colours" could have probably predicted that. Every one of them can evoke such incredible feelings with their voices. Check out "To Know Him Is To Love Him" in particular.
  • Various Artists - A Christmas Gift For You From Phil Spector
Well it is the right time of year for this, finally! This is essentially just Phil Spector gathering some of his hottest acts made famous by his "Wall of Sound" production like The Ronettes, The Crystals, Bob. B Soxx and The Blue Jeans and Darlene Love, and then making the greatest festive album in history. Everything on here is always popular when it comes to soundtracking Christmas ads. 
The Cyrstals give arguably the definitive rendition of standards like "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town" and "Rudolph The Red Nose Reindeer". Likewise, hear The Ronettes sing "Frosty The Snowman" or "Sleigh Ride" and you'll be hard pressed to imagine anybody else singing them. But for me Darlene Love has the best run of tracks on the record: the swing and pomp "White Christmas", the terrific "Marshmallow World" and the show stopping "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)".



In addition, the following were also pretty enjoyable
  • The The - Infected
  • Alice Cooper - Billion Dollar Babies
  • Minor Threat - Out Of Step
  • Suzanne Vega - Suzanne Vega
  • Nanci Griffith - The Last Of The True Believers
  • Billy Bragg - Talking With The Taxman About Poetry
  • Steve Earle - Guitar Town
  • Bad Brains - I Against I

while these didn't make much of an impression or weren't to my taste
  • The Blue Nile - A Walk Across The Rooftops
  • Anthrax - Among The Living
  • Lloyd Cole And The Commotions - Rattlesnakes
  • Bauhaus - Mask 
  • The Psychedelic Furs - Talk Talk Talk
  • The Teardrop Expoldes - Kilimanjaro 
  • Venom - Black Metal
  • Tom Tom Club - Tom Tom Club
  • Heaven 17 - Penthouse And Pavement
  • Eurythemics - Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)
  • Culture Club - Colour By Numbers
  • Soft Cell - Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret
Just look at those last four! I warned you we were in the eighties!

Anyway, keep your eyes peeled, as it's list season and I'll be mulling over my favourites from this year at some point, so hopefully see you for that.