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Shameless dump of another list

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It’s New Year’s Eve eve. So if you’re tidying the house preparing for a big one or gearing up for a healthy walk but still not quite ready to talk to anyone, then you need my best of 2024 in your life. Five-and-a-half hours of solid bangers from the last year and already downloaded by FIVE Spotify users (making it officially a fifth as popular as 2020, but then we all have busy lives, and Gavin and Stacey’s 12m was hardly To the Manor Born). Sorry for shamelessly dumping it here for your consideration, but I do it most years and some of you seem to l give it a whirl. Whether or not this list continues into 2025 is a moot point. It’s actually 20 songs shorter than most years, suggesting either that I have finally discovered quality control, or that there isn’t quite as much good new music to keep me listening. I’d be interested in your thoughts.

Murkey’s Marvellous Mixtape 2018

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I’ve finally got around to writing up my notes of my Spotify mix for 2018. I hope you enjoy it!

Here’s a mix of my favourite pieces of music, new or old, that I discovered in 2018. Eight different countries are covered this time, but bar a couple of African and a couple of Indian numbers it’s fairly Western-centric.

As ever, remember Spotify pays bugger all, so please check out the artists, follow them, buy their music, go to gigs etc.

Here it is: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7mssuvgesf2F6xhuQjJFVi

1. Anna & Elizabeth – Mother in the Graveyard

It’s traditional that I start with my favourite discovery of the year, which I concluded was this one, by the same American singers that closed last year’s mix.

From ‘The invisible comes to us’ (Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, 2018)

2. Kylie Minogue – Golden

I adore Kylie and she’s back with a great new album, complete with a country tinge.

From ‘Golden’ (BMG, 2018)

3. Norma Waterson and Eliza Carthy with the Gift Band – Strange Weather

This mother and daughter are stalwarts of the English folk tradition, but Norma’s wonderful voice works just as well (or possibly, whisper it, better) on jazzy versions of original songs » Continue Reading.

Murkey’s Marvellous Mixtape 2016

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It gets a bit later every yerar, but, as ever, a carefully sequenced Spotify compilation of my favourite musical finds (both old and new) of the last year:

I remind you, dear reader, that most of these artists here are small scale, playing non-commercial music out of passion and commitment. To be able to make their art into a career they need patrons. Spotify is great for lots of things, but if you listen to this playlist ten times with a premium subscription the most you are going to be paying the rights holders is less than 2p (and I think Spotify exaggerates these payments anyhow). It’s for intents and purposes free music. If one of the artists features piques your attention, do check them out further, buy their albums and gig tickets so that they can keep making music.

If you’d like to keep up with my musical adventures, please do head over to www.facebook.com/christopherconderwriter and give me a ‘like’!

1. Jarlath Henderson – Courting is a pleasure

I marvelled when I watched Jarlath Henderson, a piper from Northern Ireland, win » Continue Reading.

Spin Off Best Ofs

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Following up the recent ‘Best Of’ thread, these are albums that we can go out and buy. But what about the spin-off tracks? When band members go off-piste, get their side project on and strike out for solo glory. By the time three band members have signed to separate labels the prospect of a comprehensive Spin Off Best Of for say, New Order, is nil. Which is where we come in of course, and here’s my Spin Off Best Of for New Order. I’d rather listen to this than the last two NO albums for sure.

Electronic – Get The Message Electronic – Feel Every Beat Electronic – Disappointed Electronic – Forbidden City Electronic – Vivid Monaco – What Do You Want From Me? Monaco – Sweet Lips The Other Two – Tasty Fish The Other Two – Selfish Bad Lieutenant – Sink Or Swim Freebass – You Don’t Know This About Me Peter Hook & The Light – Pictures In My Mind

Your collected and imaginary Spin Off Best Ofs please for – brave souls – let’s say the members of The Beatles. Will Ringo get even a track? Will anyone be brave enough to put together a 12-track » Continue Reading.