I’ve a £10 amazon voucher burning a hole in my virtual pocket. I’m leaning toward the new Leonard Cohen, so a) should I get that? and b) if not Len, what other new releases do you reckon would float my boat?
Ta chums xx
Recommend me a new CD
by 106 Comments
—>
Lucy Dacus – No Burden is a really good album. Here’s a taster:
Thanks Drakey! Will give it a listen later, we’re watching the Pink Floyd Beginnings thing on BBC4 right now. Some people in the clips are dancing! To Floyd!!
Thanks for posting that Drakey – I heard it while I was in the US and didn’t know who it was. Very Courtney Barnett but very good.
Chrisette Michelle’s Milestone isn’t bad.
Why not put it towards the inevitable Bob-God-Bomb purchase?
PS. Your virtual pocket intrigues me. Hurrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
I’ll check her out. The Bob thing might be months away – this voucher is H.O.T.T. hot! It won’t last the weekend.
The only other relatively new* album I would recommend to you is No Sad Songs by the Lilac Time. Beautifully sad and further evidence of the towering genius of Stephen Aloysius St John Duffy. You really would like that 🙂
(* new by my standards…May 2015!)
“Beautifully sad” sounds tempting.
This is a “beautifully happy” track from No Sad Songs, The Wedding Song. Agree it’s a fine album, Moose, and well worth the money, Mini!
A double recommendation from two trustworthy pairs of ears! Has to be worth a listen.
Moose’s ears might be trustworthy but the rest of him isn’t!
I always make him keep his hands where I can see them, i.e. above the bath water.
*bubbles*
I’m currently, er, groovin’ to Angel Olson’s My Woman – interesting singer, engagingly lo-fi.
Otherwise, I’d have thought Foreverland by the mighty Divine Comedy would be a guaranteed boat-floater.
Hmm, I never really dug ver Comedy an awful lot, but I’ll check out Ms Olsen. And good morning Mr P.
And good evening to you from the future!
If you’re going to buy a TDC CD and you haven’t before it should be Absent Friends or Fin de Siecle. The last three have been agreeable enough but… preaching to the converted.
I love TDC in small doses, especially the song Charmed Life which can move me to tears if it catches me at the right (or wrong) time. But that video is like a mashup of Peter Skellern, Richard Stilgoe and Horrible Histories.
The lovely Kate Rusby’s new album Life in a Paper Boat is s return to form after a run of a few sandy sounding albums.
Sandy, eh? Ooh, that stuff gets everywhere, dunnit? Ta MP.
The most sandy sounding album was whatever I kept next to The Return of the Durutti Column.
That, and On The Beach.
Ha! Amazing what the mini keyboard on an iPod will come up with! A whole new musical genre in this case.
Thanks for the tip-off, Makka. Have just put it on my wishlist. Haven’t bought the more recent albums of hers but this one sounds very good.
Drive-By Truckers American Band. Go on, you know you want to.
(I’d post a clip, but I’m on my hols and can’t fathom out how to do it on my tablet)
Thank Bung, I’ll look it up in the morning. I’m buzzin’ on Baileys at the moment – well it is nearly Christmas! Sort of! *hic*
Oh dear. I’m a bit tipsy. You’re a bit tipsy. Anything can happen.
ANYTHING.
(except that bloody G’n’R record…)
“I’m on the Nighttrain! Bottoms up!”
Oh put it away, Axl.
I’m assuming you already have Lemonade. And Cd2 of Lazarus (Original Cast Recording).
Kate Tempest?
Ketamine For Breakfast
Or Maxwell?
Lost In The Ocean
Or Agnes Obel?
Golden Green
I haven’t heard the cast thing yet. Am hoping the three songs will be available separately. I can’t stick Kate Tempest, but will investigate the rest.
Kate Tempest is like being trapped on the top deck of a school bus in about 1998… not fun.
Nick Waterhouse’s new album Never Twice is currently floating my boat. Perfect pastiche of late 50’s / early 60’s RnB.
Ooh, and featuring Leon Bridges too, looks enticing! Ta atcf.
That’s an interesting album, but I far prefer Leon Bridges’ album.
He’s a talent, that’s for sure. Thanks Gary.
Doubleplusgood. Has led directly to a click or two with the tax dodgers.
Hiss Golden Messenger’s ‘Heart Like A Levee’ – simply outstanding. Beautiful, heartfelt, my album of the year, bar none.
Have heard lots of good things about this one, cheers Chris.
….and if you can run to the deluxe edition, please do. Full bonus album just as lovely as the main offering. If I hear anything better than Little Rain or Happy Day this year, then, er…I’ll be very lucky.
How about Son Little’s eponymous album from last year?
Nice. But is he autotuned or have I had too much Baileys?
I have no idea how people can tell autotune from no autotune.
I can’t always spot it, but it seems quite pronounced there. Still good though.
Bloody hell! Really?
And do you believe in love after love?
I have no idea what that means. But I like it.
Dude, I’m hammered. I have no idea either 😉
He’s durnk. He meant LIFE after love:
http://youtu.be/4p0chD8U8fA
What can I say? I hear love everywhere.
Sometimes Da Capo, sometimes Four Sail.
There’s a notorious Beach Boys live album from their 50th Anniversary Tour that is ruined by it. Go on Spotify or AppleMusic and listen to ‘Sail on Sailor’ for example- you’ll notice Brian Wilson’s voice occasionally takes on an odd, metallic, rasping quality – a bit like Kraftwerk’s vocoder effect but basically the Autotune is trying to resample his voice and re-tune it to the correct pitch – this jars against his actual vocal which is slightly off key but not massively so – and the two collide creating a ‘warbling’ effect that (once you notice) is unpleasant – to my ears anyway.
Nope, still none the wiser. I suspect my ears might be a bit rubbish.
Horrible song though.
Listen to the original on Holland (vocals by short-term drummer Blondie Chaplin). A FANTASTIC song (apols. for shouting!)
Ooh, ooh, I’ll tell you a goody that I like a lot – Frank Ocean’s Blond. (Endless was pretty spiffing too.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYbxMDeSgso
I’ve not dived (dove? doven?) into Frank’s ocean yet, but I’m willing to have a paddle. Wot?
Channel Orange is great, if only for Bad Religion. Can’t speak for the rest.
PS. Dove is an acceptable irregular past in US English. So relax.
…not that much. You’ve gone to sleep and I need that arm!
http://i1350.photobucket.com/albums/p773/minibreakfast/Mobile%20Uploads/giphy_zpstfr2v8rm.gif
That’s weird – now I listen to it I’ve discovered the clip above isn’t in fact Solo. At least it’s not the song that’s on the album. I think Frank’s been playing games. The song proper doesn’t seem to be on youtube. I could only find this half decent cover version. All very odd.
Brill song though. Brill album.
Only Frank has a much, much, MUCH more beautiful voice than that bloke.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNBD4OFF8cc
But it might be autotuned for all I know.
No, bollocks to ’em all, you’re right, get the new Len record, it’s ace.
Haha!
Lovin’ the new Graham Nash album.
Thanks JW, have saved it on Spotify to listen to over the weekend.
To counterbalance the Graham Nash album above, how about the new David Crosby “Lighthouse”. Listening to it as I read this thread on an early Saturday morning – very gentle, acoustic (perfect for a morning after Baileys ?). Overall a good follow up to Croz from a couple of years ago.
Other new purchases have been the new Agnes Obel (first listen is positive), new Pretenders (its the Pretenders – with added Dan Auerbach), the new Len (not listened to yet).
If you don’t already have the album get the new Steven Wilson remix of XTC’s Skylarking. Simply fantastic. One of my all time favourite albums with a ton of extras on teh Blu Ray and sounding the best I have ever heard it. With the BluRay version you get over a 100 tracks for less than £20 (okay – a lot of those are different mixes of the same album!)
Croz’s new album isn’t on Spotify, but the single “The City” from it is, so I’ll be checking that out. Ta Chrisf.
If you bought Michael Kiwanuka’s latest album Love and Hate not only would you get £2.01 change you would also be able to listen to the best new song I have heard this year in the 10 minute opening track Cold Little heart which is as addictive as crack cocaine only cheaper.
I have it, thanks Mr T. It is indeed very good.
Ripely Pine by Lady Lamb (aka Aly Spaltro). If you like the poetry, this girl’s got it; if you like the storytelling, check.
It’s quite difficult not to fall in love with her while watching this:
Very talented, especially for someone who can’t possibly be older than about 15!
if you can wait a month Mini, the new Little Mix is out on the 18th November. A week later the Kate Bush live album is out.
Of stuff that’s currently available, i’m loving the new C Duncan album (“Midnight Sun”) and the Momus retrospective “Pubic Intellectual”. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDloTAmpfz4
I heard about the Little Mix one this week! The first single isn’t amazing, but I’ll almost certainly get the album.
Not necessarily your thing, but Josienne Clark and Ben Walker have a new album out (Overnight). I only bought it yesterday and have yet to listen to it, so it may be utter bobbins. On the other hand, based on their previous recordings could easily well be a cracker.
Haha! Will add it to the Spotify pile, thanks PP.
Thanks Phil, have heard good things about them before but never looked into it but now’s the time!
You could try Laura Gibson’s “Empire Builder”. An understated gem in my view. Here’s one of the loveliest songs:
I have that album too and can concur with Paul’s endorsement.
Excellent, thanks Paul and Mr T.
No mucking around. No hard or soft sell. No contest. Buy Peel Away The Ivy by The Pattern Forms. Released yesterday on Ghost Box it’s dream pop of a high order. Highly recommended to lovers of C. Duncan, Talk Talk, Cat’s Eyes and anyone with an ounce of taste.
Added to the ever-growing Spotify pile. Thanks P, am excited to hear it!
Here’s a guy I haven’t seen mentioned on the Afterword before: Andy Shauf.
He’s from Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada.
His third album, “The Party” came out earlier this year. And it’s good. Really good.
Who does he sound like? Well ….. I suppose he sounds a bit like Elliott Smith. But that, of course, is no bad thing.
Try this track for size, Mini (and all other Afterworders). Think you might like it.
“The Worst in You”
I’m going to need a bigger voucher, aren’t I? Thanks duc, added to list.
Almost forgot. The new Dawes album is really good. We’re All Gonna Die
Ta, tigsy.
How’s your Italian ? Il complesso di Tada is great. Teenage Fanclub’s Here is also pretty wonderful.
Thanks Dodger.
A new corker to consider. If you are familiar with or like the ‘Late night tales’ series the David Holmes one is absolutely spiffing. Perfect for chilling at the weekend and a compilation by a master DJ/Musician.
I’ve heard a couple from the Late Night series. Will see if I can find this on Spotify. Thanks again T.
This is so new it’s not actually been released yet.
“Site Specific” by Ryan Teague comes out on November 11th but advance copies were available at a recent gig of his.
The album is listed on Spotify but only the title track is playable so far. I like it a lot.
Can’t seem to figure out how to get a Spotify link to appear in here. Dunno why.
Here’s a YouTube link to a live performance instead.
Cheers Mike!
(Not bumping, Chiz, just being polite and feeling grateful for all the wonderful, considered recommendations.)
Thanks for the Ryan Teague tip, Mike.
Sounds interesting. I like it.
As soon as I see or hear a bass clarinet, my interest is piqued!
This Time It’s Personal, the collaboration between Dr John Cooper Clarke and Hugh Cornwell is strangely compelling. It’s old standards (Johnny Remember Me, McCarthur Park) sung by an old punk poet who often sounds like he has borrowed someone else’s teeth while a former never-really-was-a-punk guitarist sometimes strums away behind him, but I have played it more than any other album this autumn. I’m just not quite sure why.
Now you’ve really got me interested, Gatz. On paper it doesn’t sound up to much, but I can believe that the old JCC charm can get under one’s skin. A dark horse.
Great thread Mini. I too am looking to listening my way through all these suggestions on Spotify and YT.
Well, I’ve listened to LOADS of your recommendations over the weekend, and they’ve provided a most enjoyable soundtrack to my potterings, so thank you one and all, very much. Several have been added to my Spotify library, and a couple to my CD wishlist.
You’ll be pleased to know that I finally spent my Amazon voucher on…..
*drum roll*
….the new Laughing Len. 😀
Damn! What’s that Harry Tufnell got going for him that I haven’t?
She canna resist Len’s formidable Tower of Song.
??
He thinks he’s on the football thread.
Men! Cuh!!
Harry recommended you stick with Cohen (above). You took his advice, not mine. Probably wise.
Over the past decade or so, Gondwana Records of Manchester have given us a host a wonderful records by Matthew Halsall, Nat Birchall, GoGo Penguin, and Mammal Hands.
11 November sees the release of the debut album by the label’s fifth artist, John Ellis, It’s called “Evolution: Seeds & Streams.”
Ellis adds a kora to that trademark beautiful Gondwana sound. You just know it’s going to be good, don’t you? And it is…
https://johnellismusic.bandcamp.com/releases
Don’t forget to do a Nights In, @minibreakfast!
Will do. As soon as your one of AFD appears…
The most terrifying game of chicken imaginable.
“With one hand on my suicide, One hand on the Rose”
There is a difference between us. You are willingly purchasing & listening to Len, whereas I’m not doing either with AFD.
Why not review it without listening to it? Might be fun. I once reviewed a band’s gig (The Stranglers) without going to see them.
The NME didn’t publish my review, mind. I was 8.
So, then, Ms @minibreakfast, what do you think of it?
I love it. The intimate feel, the occasional churchy overtones, the restraint in his voice (no doubt necessary, but still…). Plus there are tunes! And the running time is 36 minutes, so the album never outstays its welcome.
I definitely made the right choice 🙂
Nice Night In. Thanks.