It’s time for The AfterWord to select its Album Of The Year!
I will spend the next month collating shedloads and bucketfuls of entries into a spreadsheet the size of Antarctica (which even in these Climate Change days is pretty damn big, let me tell you).
92.37% of the nominations will bear names only three people have ever heard of but in the end, and is our way, a motley collection of old blokes and at least two, maybe even three, young (?) women will hand over the trophy to whichever white, ancient rocker has summoned up enough creative energy to release something “new and exciting” this year.
Go on , I dare you all to prove me Wrong!
Usual Rules apply:
Albums released in 2021
Re-releases, remasterings etc are not allowed (polled separately, if Dai can be arsed?)
Previously undiscovered , unreleased and unheard masterpieces which have never seen the light of day before Jan 1st 2021 are allowed
Taylor Swift’s “Red” is definitely allowed
You can list as many records as you like but only 20 will actually count.
20 points to your first choice, all the way down to 1 for your last
You don’t have to list 20, just as many as you think deserve it (if ,for instance, you only list two, then that’s twenty and nineteen points respectively)
Artist names first, followed by album title – PLEASE!
You can change your mind and resubmit at any point but I would appreciate a PM saying “Hey, Wrongness! No idea why I chose that obscure jazz noodling nonsense (ok, I was trying to impress Tigger), can I substitute Chemtrails instead?”
Polling opens NOW and closes midnight 31st December.
Best of luck everyone!
Obligatory NZ Hip Hop clip attached.
ps Mods – can you pin this, pretty please?
Huzzah! Here’s my prediction. It won’t be an old white bloke this year. Hell, it probably won’t be a bloke at all. Unless Van’s sunny Latest Record Project Volume One makes a surprise bid for glory.
Are you forgetting Plant and Krauss which is sure to put in a good showing? I won’t be playing as I listen to so little New, but this is one of the rare albums I have not only bought, and in physical format, this year, but played many times.
Oh yeah, you’re right. Damn.
The Guardian are up to number 3 in the AOTY countdown and Latest Record Project has, ominously, yet to feature..
See
James McMurtry Horses and Hounds
What if, right, I don’t think my favourite album of the year is worth 20 points? If I think it’s only worth 14. Can I do that?
@Gary
There’s always one…
Rule No1:
There is No Gary
Other self-sabotagees. Will Lana split her own vote through releasing two albums? (Not with me, spots for both) and do Sault (2 last year) count as they have already deleted their album.
As usual I will only name 5, my number 1 is pretty obvious. I reserve the right to change my mind about other places before year is over:
1. Abba – Voyage
2. Manic Street Preachers – The Ultra Vivid Lament
3. Van Morrison – Latest Album Project Vol 1
4. Billie Eilish – Happier Than Ever
5. Lana Del Rey – Blue Banisters
If I didn’t name Jeff Tweedy Love is the King last year (please check) then that needs to be there too, physical release was 2021
Mr Tweedy was so last year. Damn fine record, mind.
I’ve tried entering your No1 into the spreadsheet but it keeps saying “not recognised”…
I loved the idea of you placing it at no. 1
If we close the poll right now some old age pensioners who’ve been asleep for twenty years have won. Perfect!
Close it!
1. Del Amitri – Fatal Mistakes
2. The Coral – Coral Island
3. ABBA- Voyage
4. Paul Weller – Fat Pop
5. The Blow Monkeys- Journey To You
Guess too late to change my no. 5 to Lana’s other record then? @henpetsgi (have got into it over the Christmas break), BB then slips to 6
@dai. Rulz is Rulz, I’m afraid.
It’s been suggested a couple of times we rerun The Poll in, say, June.
If only we could find some sucker to run the damn thing …
No worries. Another poll? I think one per year is enough and this is the right time to do it
Van straight in at number 3! Is the old trooper going to surprise us with a high chart showing after all?
Not sure if you are counting Dylan as a reissue – if so, disregard it and move those below up by one.
1. James McMurtry – The Horses and the Hounds
2. Felice Brothers – From Dreams to Dust
3. War On Drugs – I Don’t Live Here Anymore
4. Robert Plant & Alison Kraus – Raise the Roof
5. Lord Huron – Long Lost
6. Peter Bruntnell – Journey to the Sun
7. Lindsey Buckingham – Lindsey Buckingham
8. Jackson Browne – Downhill from Everywhere
9. ABBA – Voyage
10. Afterlight (Thea Gilmore) – Afterlight
11. Son Volt – Electro Melodier
12. Israel Nash – Topaz
13. Bob Dylan – Springtime in New York
14. Rodney Crowell – Triage
15. Hiss Golden Messenger – Quietly Blowing It
16. David Crosby – For Free
17. Ryan Adams – Wednesdays
18. Ryan Adams – Big Colors
Can’t think of 2 more…..might get back to you.
I would classify Dylan as reissue/archive release as the music is 40 years old. There will be another poll for such releases
I agree with Dai. Nurse, Nurse, where are you?
If you don’t see the white OAP rocker win again, you just need to tweak the scoring slightly. If people only submit 2 entries, instead of awarding 19 and 20 points, award them 1 and 2. Only give albums 20 points if someone has submitted 20 albums. The scoring is always skewed by the half dozen people who have only bought one album (by Ry Cooder, Paul Simon, Bruce Springsteen or Richard Thompson usually).
A couple of years ago, when Lana Del Rey’s Norman Fucking Rockwell was pipped by (I think) Bruce Springsteen, I totted up the scores only counting entries that had at least 15 albums listed (it might have been 10, but you get the point) and Lana won comfortably.
I should say, I’m not having a go at people who haven’t listened to much new music in any way, as until I stopped working and suddenly had loads of time on my hands I didn’t listen to anywhere near as much either, it’s just that it does skew the scoring. Particularly when people submit one album, which gets 20 points, whilst also saying the album was a bit underwhelming. Perhaps try it both ways and see what happens?
Are you implying that Lodey hasn’t tried it both ways?
Last time I tried “both ways” I spent several days in hospital. Over the years I’ve tried collating various scoring systems like Formula 1 (25 points for 1st, 15 for second etc) and, to be honest, the present method seems to work the best.
I agree there is a chance that if everybody, for instance, puts Van’s album at No 10 then he stands a good chance of winning.
If anybody wants to fiddle with the results later (like your good self) fair enough but this horse is not for changing.
Or better still, only name 5 albums. Am sure you will name about 100 though!
Makes no sense at all that your favourite album of the year is worth 20 points and my favourite is worth 5.
I like this. Name your top 5 or name 50 but top 5 only score (I admit I only have 5 to offer)
Kill your darlings!
Yes, I get that, and it shouldn’t, but it also makes no sense that people say the only album they have heard all year is the latest [insert rock dinosaur] album, so they’ll just submit that one, even though they didn’t think it was very good, and that album still gets 20 points. No method is perfect, particularly as all our listening habits are different.
I was just suggesting a way to weight it more towards ‘these are my favourite albums of the year’ and away from ‘these are the only albums I’ve heard all year’. because being that most of us on here are 50+ white males and are loyal to our long time favourite artists (there are several that I am loyal to that I really wish would retire), the ones who only buy one or two albums per year are likely to go for the same old favourites, which is why we often end up with the same old winners, as referenced in Lodey’s thread title.
Due to the divorce, house move, working on house, etc, I haven’t spent as much time listening to new music as I normally do. I’ve spent more time meandering my way through my rapidly expanding jazz collection. So maybe that explains why I’ve found this year to be the most disappointing year for new albums for some time. Most of my favourite artists who have released albums this year haven’t quite matched the standard of their most recent album(s). Perhaps I just need to give them more listens, but I can usually tell pretty quickly how I feel about albums.
But maybe if I submit 100 and we change the scoring so my top one gets 100 points I might be able to squeeze Sophie Ellis-Bextor into the top 10 every now and then?
“I was just suggesting a way to weight it more towards ‘these are my favourite albums of the year” so we are to start handicapping albums because some people only listen to a couple of `new` albums a year* Utter bollocks.
If you don`t like it that your latest favourite Hippoty Hoppity album is only liked by you that`s on you Paul.
The points in the AW Poll alloted in the fairest way possible.
*I`ve listened to at least 35 new albums this year at least 6/7 times each.
Blimey, I would have preferred a ‘no, I don’t think that would work’.
I approached this wrong. Of course if someone hasn’t listened to 20 albums, or if they have and want to submit less than 20 their entries shouldn’t be penalised. What I am trying to get at is specifically when people only submit one, whilst also saying they actually don’t think it’s very good. It’s this that has slightly skewed the poll in the past.
Gary, further up, seems to have done that already, by submitting one album that he doesn’t think is worth 20 points, so he’s asked for it to score 14.
It really was only a suggestion and wasn’t intended to have a go at anybody, as I tried to say in the first post. Aggression really isn’t my thing.
Hi Paul, I didn`t intend anything personal it was just an opinion on your suggestion. I don`t claim to be correct, sorry if I caused offence.
Or better still, just give it to Voyage now and have done with it.
Not while there’s better Shyte knocking about.
Seriously I’m amazed at the love for these Swedish hippies. I’ve not heard it though and doubt I will.
Well thanks for that carefully judged assessment, Baron Do you read the Daily Mail, perchance?
Well, thanks for that considered assessment. Do you read the Daily Mail, perchance?
Your response is so good you posted it twice.
Re: Daily Mail. You are a bona fide keyboard warrior aren’t you, cheeky monkey that you are.
In answer to your question I have always abstained from reading Right-Wing rags and were you to ask me that question to my face……
My Daily Mail reference was in view of the ‘it’s rubbish, but of course I haven’t heard it’ mantra which is the default reaction of DM types. Also the ‘hippies’ comment. And of course, Swedish hippies are the worst kind.
As an old hippie myself it was a tongue in cheek remark BT.
I’m still amazed at the hullabaloo around this release, please note I use the word ‘amazed’ which is not a derogatory term.
P.S. ABBA were 10 to 1 at the bookies for ‘Waterloo’ to win the Eurovision Song Contest. It was the most obvious winner EVER! I won the equivalent of 4 weeks wages at the time.
Fair do’s, Baron. Not sure why you would be amazed – it’s a huge story. I don’t think many, if any groups have ever returned with all original members to release a new album after a 40-year hiatus, and with the development of a revolutionary stage show to boot.
“the development of a revolutionary stage show to boot” as in they are not really there?
“But are any of us really here, man?” – asks a hippy
All the raw data will be available. Anyone can take it and score it as they want. I’ll be looking out for the albums recommended by just one person, as per last year – just as interesting as the high scorers.
That`s the daftest idea I`ve read so far on this thread Paul.
The poll more often than not tells us that us mainly old(ish), white(ish) blokes vote an old white bloke’s album as our “No1”.
No surprises there.
What is a surprise, at least to this old (definitely) white (more of a dirty yellow actually) bloke is the sheer range and diversity of the lists submitted. Each year something I have totally missed blows me away (2020 brought A Girl Called Eddie).
Long may you all run.
I find this particular annual poll really useful. Not because it generates a chart with a winner but because I can see the working.
I’ll particularly see who else has liked my top picks and see if there’s anything else on their lists that might appeal that I may have missed or passed over previously.
If every music magazine end of year poll puts say, the new Elbow album, at number one, I’m still not likely to investigate further because I don’t like Guy Garvey’s voice.
note: I’ve picked Elbow pretty much at random – I’ve nothing against them, it’s just an example of a band I’ve never taken to.
Here’s my top 18 (as that seems to be the style these days):
1. Tingsek – Home
2. Benny Sings – Music
3. Silvertwin – Silvertwin
4. Couch – Couch
5. Tom Shotton – Forever Home
6. Lawrence – Hotel TV
7. boylife – gelato
8. Cory Wong – Cory & The Wongnotes
9. Dave Koz/Cory Wong – Golden Hour
10. Scary Goldings – Feel
11. ABBA – Voyage
12. Cody Fry – Pictures of Mountains
13. Prince – Welcome 2 America
14. David Crosby – For Free
15. Haim – Women in Music
16. Judith Hill – Baby I’m Hollywood
17. Burt Bacharach & Daniel Tashian – Blue Umbrella
18. Lady Blackbird – Black Acid Soul
This is why I love this poll. I have never heard of anyone in your Top 10. Not one. That’s on me, not you.
As a public service, I will add a few videos:
Thanks, @matthew-best. I’ve never heard / seen Lawrence before: what an utterly wonderful performance. You’ve given me a brand new thing to go and investigate.
Blimey… Felt, Denim, Go-Kart Mozart and now a whole new look.
Don’t forget Shampoo too…
Talking of, Cherry Red are re-releasing the Felt back catalogue, in Feb next year, 7 discs, separately, rather than a box.
Yes, it took me about 30 seconds watching that clip to go “woah, that girl is worth listening to”. Then I investigated further and found their album, which I really enjoyed. I don’t think they’ve ever made it to the UK, but I will be there when they do.
Some interesting stuff amongst that lot Mr. Best.
@Paul-Wad
Fancy sending Sophie soaring up Lodey’s poll, PG?
As I’ve only picked one album (James McMurtry – v. good it is, too) have 19 scoring spaces left. As a result would be happy to trade – say – my second place ranking so both SEB and James McM can achieve a respectable showing in Lodey’s poll.
Sadly, we wouldn’t get away with such sneaky rule bending, because she’s been too busy dancing and writing books to release an album this year!
The Rigidly Digital Top 17 of TwennyTwennyWun
1. The Coral – Coral Island
2. Jim Bob – Who Do We Hate Today?
3. Hamish Hawk – Heavy Elevator
4. Alice Cooper – Detroit Stories
5. Paul Weller – Fat Pop
6. Stranglers – Dark Matters
7. Manic Street Preachers – Ultra Vivid Lament
8. Iron Maiden – Senjutsu
9. Matt Berry – The Blue Elephant
10. The Professionals – SNAFU
11. Parquet Courts – Sympathy For Life
12. Wolf Alice – Blue Weekend
13. Public Service Broadcasting – Bright Music
14. John Grant – Boy From Michigan
15. Dead Men Walking – Freedom, It Aint On The Rise
16. The Minnows – Californian Poppy
17. Otherish – Otherish
Manic Street Preachers
I’ve had a poor year listening to music. Not that new music has been bad, just that I’ve not had enough time to give it justice. So much so that I struggle putting together a top twenty. Still, my top five is pretty settled.
1. Floating Points, Pharoah Sanders, The London Symphony Orchestra – Promises
Meditative with huge waves of emotion. Remarkably, an octogenarian adds the youthful joie de vivre. Without this album I’m not sure I would have got through 2021 intact.
2. Anthony Joseph – The Rich Are Only Defeated When Running For Their Lives
LKJ’s hard-hitting poetry updated with a sparkling jazz backing. Little has changed for Afro-Caribbeans in the UK since the seventies.
3. Vijay Iyer, Linda Oh, Tyshawn Sorey, – Uneasy
The most elegant, graceful protest music I’ve ever heard.
4. Angel Bat Dawid & Tha Brothahood – Live
Wild, untamed, righteous. Music fashioned from the blood, sweat and tears of the downtrodden.
5. Sons Of Kemet – Black To The Future
Shabaka Hutchings and co are in an imperial phase and have lost none of their fire and bite.
Then, there are five classical albums I’ve thoroughly enjoyed. I particularly like it when familiar pieces are delivered in an unfamiliar way.
Gabriel Scwabe, ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra, Christopher Ward – Elgar & Bridge Cello Concertos
Notos Quartett – Brahms: Piano Quartet No.1, Symphony No.3 – The Schonberg Effect
Gustavo Gimeno, Patricia Kopatchinskaja, Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg – Coll: Violin Concerto, Hidd’n Blue, Mural, Four Iberian Minatures, Aqua Cineria
Osmonds Vänskä & The Minnesota Orchestra – Mahler Symphony #10 (Completed by D. Cooke)
Sean Shibe – Camino
Next, five fabulous female vocalists, all of them young with exquisite voices. I’ve selected a variety of styles.
Anaïs Reno – Lovesome Thing: Anaïs Reno Sings Ellington & Strayhorn
The Weather Station – Ignorance
Allison Russell – Outside Child
Martha Marlow – Medicine Man
Sarah McQuaid – The St. Buryan Sessions
To complete my vote, five sundries
Robert Plant & Alison Krauss – Raise The Roof
The Bug – Fire
Sault – ‘NINE’
Warrington-Runcorn New Town Development Plan – Interim Report, March 1979
Ches Smith And We All Break – Path Of Seven Colors
Finally, here are ten I need to apologise to for not being able to listen enough times to place in my top twenty, yet they sound quite brilliant on first impressions.
Fergus McCreadie – Cairn
Lana Del Ray – Blue Banisters
Lady Blackbird – Black Acid Soul
Leo Nocentelli – Another Day
Amythyst Kiah – Wary + Strange
Olivia Rodrigo – SOUR
Dry Cleaning – New Long Leg
Rodrigo Amarante – Drama
Christone “Kingfish” Ingram – 662
Sleaford Mods – Spare Ribs
Warrington Runcorn New Town…..I thought you’d got your papers mixed up Tiggs.
I had to google it, I’m very intrigued and will organise a listen later today.
On second thoughts Tiggs I gave up after 2 minutes of Warrington/Runcorn noodling. Sounds like Conservative Club music a friend commented which is good because I’d never consider going through the door of one of those hell holes.
That’s what it is aiming for. It captures the hellhole that was Runcorn in the seventies, suffering during the last vestiges of post war New Town Development just before Thatcher came to power.
Did she improve things? 😉
She improved the bank balances of her cronies, oh and Dennis.
O’Dell or Greaves?
She, erm, disinvested. The notorious Southgate estate was demolished and Shopping City barely survived. Things turned around for Runcorn after 1997. I wonder who was in power then.
@tiggerlion
Do you want the points distributed in the order you have listed i.e. 20 to Floating Points and 1 to Ches Smith?
Them’s the rules, innit?
Yeah – just slightly confused (a permanent condition these days) that you split your selection into genres…
Not generally an album guy, but I’ve spent quite a bit of time with those below this year, and I’ve really enjoyed all of them.
I don’t usually have a dog in the fight when it comes to this poll, but on this occasion I will be rooting for Olivia Rodrigo and Lana Del Rey, both of whom absolutely nailed it.
1. Tyler the Creator – Call Me If You Get Lost
2. Olivia Rodrigo – SOUR
3. Bo Burnham -Inside
4. Lana Del Rey – Blue Banisters
5. Gojira – Fortitude
6. Poppy Aykroyd – Pause
7. Doja Cat – Planet Her
8. Wolf Alice – Blue Weekend
9. Joy Anonymous – Human Again
10. Silk Sonic – An Evening With Silk Sonic
11. Trna – Istok
12. Myke Towers – Lyke Mike
13. Pop Smoke – Faith
14. Godspeed You! Black Emperor – G_d’s Pee AT STATE’S END
15. Manchester Orchestra – The Million Masks of God
16. Sons of Gotham – Sons of Gotham
17. Donda – Kanye West
18. Red – Taylor Swift
19. Thermohaline – Maesltrom
20. Isaiah Rashad – The House is Burning
1.Little Eden-Bevis Frond
2. 1960-Martin Joseph
3. Raise The Roof-Plant and Krauss
4.The Nearer The Fountain-Damon Albarn
5. Still As You’re Sleeping-Karine Polwart and Dave Mulligan
Little Eden have a new record out? Raise The Roof have issued a tribute album?
Bevis Frond-Little Eden
Martyn Joseph-1960
Plant and Krauss-Raise The Roof
Damon Albarn-The Nearer The Fountain
Karine Polwart and Dave Mulligan-Still As Your Sleeping
Thanks for pointing that out Lodeness Of Wrongstone….Sorry Dai, hope this does not fuck your recording of these up too much.
1. Nick Cave and Warren Ellis – Carnage
2. Bo Burnham -Inside
3. Max Richter – Exiles
4 Mogwai – As the Love Continues
5 St. Vincent – Daddy’s Home
2021’s top 12
1. Manic Street Preachers – The Ultra Vivid Lament
2. Chris Corsano & Bill Orcutt – Made Out Of Sound
3. Floating Points, Pharoah Sanders & The London Symphony Orchestra – Promises
4. Little Simz – Sometimes I Might Be Introvert
5. Kikagaku Moyo & Ryley Walker – Deep Fried Grandeur
6. Jaubi – Nafs at Peace
7. Gary Bartz, Ali Shaheed Muhammad, Adrian Younge – Gary Bartz JID 006
8. JD Allen – Queen City
9. Bachelor – Doomin’ Sun
10. LUMP – Animal
11. The Coral – Coral Island
12. Jane Weaver – Flock
1. Red (Taylor’s Version) – Taylor Swift
2. Evermore – Taylor Swift
3. Prioritise Pleasure – Self Esteem
4. Voyage – ABBA
That’s all I can manage. I don’t really do albums any more. But I’ve loved all of those from start to finish.
Great though it is, not sure evermore can be considered in this poll as it was released last December. Over to the adjudicators…
Huh. It’s labelled 2021 in my Apple Music. Maybe that’s cos it’s the extended release. Oh well. I’m unbothered by a ranked list of albums in any case, though I note some of the squabbling over scoring methods above with interest*.
*LOLs
Evermore not allowed, says the old bloke in a wig
Although as one of the best albums ever, ever released this may go all the way to The Court of Appeal (which appears to have moved from Strasbourg to Pouzolles)
Oh no, it’s the Battle of Evermore!
Quoth the Raven, “Haud your whisht!”
👏👏👏
As I begin to sift through my thoughts, this year already has promises of being the most diverse yet. (And expensive: several I have put off buying/listening to have begun to appear and I fear I may succumb. (I always do.)
O, and I don’t mean the “Swedish Hippies” (thanks for the arf, @baron-harkonnen )
Ha ha, you’re welcome Retro, some fule took my comment seriously. A reader of the Sun I believe.
My listening habits have changed a lot this year. It’s the first full year that I’ve shared an office with my wife so we tend to listen to the radio rather than different stuff with headphones so there’s a huge compromise to be made. As a consequence of that, and a lack of live gigs, I’ve probably spent less on music in 2021 than in any year since I left school in 1979 (and I don’t mean in real terms!)
1. Esther Rose – How Many Times
2. The Pink Stones – Introducing… The Pink Stones
3. Tele Novella – Merlynn Belle
4. Jason Ringenberg – Rhinestoned
5. Flatlanders – Treasure of Love
6. Tristen – Aquatic Flowers
7. The Surfing Magazines – Badgers of Wymeswold
8. Du Blonde – Homecoming
9. Lilly Hiatt – Lately
Lots of old and “new to me” old this year, so a more limited list that usual:
1. Floating Points, Pharoah Sanders, The London Symphony Orchestra – Promises
2. Del Amitri – Fatal Mistakes
3. Jane Weaver – Flock
4. Pino Palladino and Blake Mills – Notes With Attachments
5. Steven Wilson – The Future Bites
6. star-crossed – Kacey Musgraves
7. Public Service Broadcasting – Bright Magic
Another good year. Plenty of brilliant new and old. I’ve consulted my spreadsheet* and here’s my list.
1. Low – Hey What
2. Orange Synthetic – Cobalt Chapel
3. Richard Norris – Hypnotic Response
4. Caroline Shaw, So Percussion – Let The Soil Play Its Simple Part
5. Public Service Broadcasting – Bright Magic
6. Photay – On Hold
7. Warrington-Runcorn New Town Development Plan – Interim Report, March 1979
8. Hannah Peel – Fir Wave
9. Ed Dowie – The Obvious I
10. Black Midi – Cavalcade
11. Ulrich Schnauss & Mark Peters – Destiny Waving
12. The Black Dog – Music For Photographers
13. Jane Weaver – Flock
14. Camera – Prosthuman
15. The Oscillation – Untold Futures
16. Matt Berry – The Blue Elephant
17. Godspeed You! Black Emperor – G_d’s Pee at State’s End!
18. The Catenary Wires – Birling Gap
19. The Besnard Lakes – Are The Last Of The Great Thunderstorm Warnings
20. Saint Etienne – I’ve Been Trying To Tell You
Bubbling Under:
Meer – Playing House
Paul McCartney – McCartney III
John Grant – Boy From Michigan
Matt Sweeney & Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy – Superwolves
ATA Records – The Library Archive Volume 2
The War On Drugs – I Don’t Live Here Anymore
Warrington-Runcorn New Town Development Plan – People and Industry
*What do you mean you don’t have a spreadsheet?
Just realised that it should be Cobalt Chapel – Orange Synthetic! Sorry.
here we go then
Cassandra Jenkins – An Overview On Phenomenal Nature
album of the year by a considerable distance, this gave me something to cling to during that cold and grey lockdown at the dawn of the year, and it’s sustained me throughout the rest of the it. I wrote much more in a review here at the time, but the tl;dr is that you won’t hear a better ambient indie folk jazz hybrid for a long long time.
Trna – Istok
skyscraping blackened post metal from St Petersburg. They call it ‘celestial blackgaze’ and that’ll do me
Taylor Swift – Red
let’s be honest, there is far too much of this but when it’s good it’s really really good. And why does everybody seem to hate Starlight? It’s a total bop.
Houeida Hedfi – Fleuves de L’Ame
neoclassical / electronica crossover, with a strong Arabic influence and excellent percussion work. Really really lovely.
Arooj Aftab – Vulture Prince
otherworldly and enchanting music from a Brooklyn-based Pakistani composer
God Is An Astronaut – Ghost Tapes #10
concise and propulsive instrumentals that blast through the sky, post rock without the noodling
Linda Fredriksson – Juniper
Finnish jazz, self described as a singer songwriter album performed by an instrumental jazz band. Affecting and melancholy, quite lovely
M’dou Moctar – Afrique Victim
an album I thought might have got a bit more traction here, Tuareg desert rock infused with a psychedelic rock sensibility that recalls Hendrix
The Hold Steady – Open Door Policy
you already know if you like these or not
Deafheaven – Infinite Granite dialling down the metal and upping the shoegaze was a brave decision which largely paid off, but I do feel they’ve lost a little bit of their individuality. There are some great songs here, but nothing unique
Makaya McCraven – Deciphering The Message
a homage to the classic Blue Note hard bop sound, compiled from samples and live instrumentation
Anthony Joseph – The Rich Are Only Defeated When Running For Their Lives
ably covered by Mr T Lion already, strong dub poetry / jazz crossover
Nala Sinephro – Space 1.
late night cosmic jazz that effortlessly mixes modular synths and traditional instruments
Wolf Alice – Blue Weekend
something that initially seemed to be just Radio 6 fodder, but which turned out to stick with me a lot longer than I expected
Witch Fever – Reincarnate
new Manchester band, somewhere between Sabbath and early Nirvana and absolutely suffused with righteous feminist anger
Halsey – If I Can’t Have Love Then I Want Power
pop star teams up with Trent Reznor for career high,
Daniel Avery – Together In Static
nothing especially new from the brightest light of UK techno here, but a consolidation of what he does so well
Fightmilk – Contender
sharp, spiky and sassy power pop songs
Thermohaline – Maelstrom by far the heaviest thing here, this collaborative South American / European project mixes up death metal, black metal and industrial to brutal and nautical themed effect
Drinking Boys And Girls Choir – Marriage License
gloriously snotty South Korean pop punk, eleven songs in twenty two minutes
I seem to have gone big on the quiet and melancholy this year. I’m alright, promise.
The Mdou Moctar is turning up a lot on year end lists but I must admit when I listened early in the year it didn’t really excite me. Will need to give it another go along side several others appearing on this thread – the Pharoah Sanders for example.
M’dou Moctar’s album is wonderful and will figure in my 20 from21.
I haven’t heard Witch Fever, but based purely on the description above I will have to check it out.
Very disappointed with Deafheaven’s new direction. It’s not a bad record, but it’s not what I wanted from them: they had such a singular sound and they’d only just started to mine it. Thankfully, Trna ended up filling that particular void.
I ordered the Cassandra Jenkins album after hearing a couple of tracks last week on 6Music. I had wanted to order it earlier in year but put it in my basket where it remained.
The M’Dou Moctar sounds intersting.
Cassandra Jenkins is near perfect, but has two tracks with which I cannot engage at all, Hard Drive and The Ramble, which, in an already short record, is too big a proportion to give it any pride of place.
Don’t it evoke Van at his most transcendental, tho’, especially the saxophone tone?
Retro, Retro, Retro! I can see that The Ramble might be a bit divisive, although I love it, but Hard Drive? It’s the song of the year, man! *shakes head sadly*
Horses for courses, donkeys for wonkys! 😉
I’m with the kid on this one. Not my song of the year, but certainly up there, and my favourite from the album.
Thanks for doing this – it always makes for interesting reading and some new lines of investigation.
Mine are:
1. Gilligan Moss- Gilligan Moss
2. Shannon Lay – Geist
3. Carwyn Ellis and Rio 18 with The BBC National Orchestra of Wales – Yn Rio
4. Big Red Machine – How Long Is This Going To Last?
5. Sufjan Stevens and Angelo de Augustine – A Beginner’s Mind
6. Jane Weaver – Flock
7. Polo & Pan – Cyclorama
8. Anchorsong – Mirages
9. Karen Perris – A Song Is Way Above The Lawn
10. Lump – Animal
11. Unkle – Ronin
12. Bicep – Isles
13. Saint Etienne – I Have Been Trying To Tell You
14. Spencer Cullum – Spencer Cullum’s Coin Collection
15. Jim Noir – Deep Blue View
16. Damon Albarn – The Nearer The Fountain, The More Pure The Stream Flows
17. DJ Format – Devil’s Workshop
18. Rostam – Changephobia
19. Rose City Band – Earth Trip
20. Little Simz- Sometimes I Might Be An Introvert
I’ll have changed my mind about the order of all but, perhaps, the top three by tomorrow. But hey.
Thanks again.
My pleasure. And my thanks back at you – must have taken you yonks to make all those band names and “titles” up. Particularly liked your No5.
Shit, forgot Lump.
Yes, it’s terrific – enjoying it much more than their first one and it’ll be on my list for sure when I get round to it.
`Lump` what a terrible name.
“We’ve got lumps of it, round the back…”
That`s why it`s terrible, nowt as bad as back pain.
1. Mogwai – As the Love Continues
2. Kilbey Kennedy – Jupiter 13
3. Steven Wilson – The Future Bites
4. All India Radio – Afterworld
5. Matt Berry – The Blue Elephant
6. Tori Amos – Ocean to Ocean
7. The Coral – Coral Island
8. Jane Weaver – Flock
9. Floating Points/Pharoah Sanders – Promises
10. Paul Weller – Fat Pop
11. The Anchoress – The Art of Losing
12. Close to Forever – Hearts and Desires
13. Transatlantic – The Absolute Universe
14. Mono – Pilgrimage of the Soul
15. Cleaners from Venus – Penny Novelettes
16. James Yorkston and The Second Hand Orchestra – The Wide, Wide River
17. Charles Lloyd & The Marvels – Tone Poem
18. Squid – Bright Green Field
19. Nala Sinephro – Space 1.8
20. Shannon Lay – Geist
A’ha, Tone Poem, I forgot about that. I’ve dug into Charles Lloyd’s discography since buying that album. Although I already had the album he did with Lucinda Williams.
Shannon Lay and Jane Weaver narrowly missed my top 20. A good list sir.
@simon22367
Crikey, a vote for Kilbey Kennedy! I’ve got that, only a couple of listens though. Am I missing something?
I love the KK album, the best one they’ve done together.
I forgot Kilbey’s latest album, The Hall of Counterfeits. Eclectic and long, but worth a listen.
I’ve that too! As you say, eclectic and long…
Interesting…so far I only see one album that will appear in my Top 20, but I’ll need a lot more time before I submit it. Still haven’t listened to all of the albums I bought in November!
I’ll be back.
Thats another vote for ABBA then 🙂
There will be Swedes, but not those Swedes, I’m afraid…
Neeps and Swedes… never been seen in the same bed
Suede… Not The London Suede
1. John Dipper and James Patterson – Unearthing
2. Aidan o Rourke – Iorram OST
3. Karine Polwart & Dave Milligan – Still as You’re Sleeping
4. Hartwin Dhoore Trio – Valge Valgus
5. The Coral – Coral Island
6. Rhiannon Giddens with Francesco Turrisi – They’re Calling me Home
Aaaargh! Sorry Loders. Correction.
1. John Dipper and James Patterson – Unearthing
2. San Salvador – La Grande Folie
3. Aidan o Rourke – Iorram OST
4. Karine Polwart & Dave Milligan – Still as You’re Sleeping
5. Hartwin Dhoore Trio – Valge Valgus
6. The Coral – Coral Island
7. Rhiannon Giddens with Francesco Turrisi – They’re Calling me Hom
“Valge Valgus” by the “Hartwin Dhoore Trio”.
Yeah, right. Next you’ll be telling me it’s Estonian Folk Music.
I only threw in The Coral to prove that I am not a sleeper folkbot from the demised realm of fRoots magazine.
I know exactly who all of those are. But I literally am a sleeper folkbot from the demised realm of fRoots magazine. (Hartwin Dhoore is Flemish folk music, so…)
In terms of my choices, I seem to have listened to very few new albums this year. I just listened to the Nick Cave and Warren Ellis last week after their fantastic Albert Hall concert a couple of months ago (good, but not as good as live, as someone else said below), and I listened to the Anthony Joseph pretty recently too, again after an astounding live show (but I accidentally listened on shuffle, so don’t feel I can really count it as ‘listened to’). Richard Thompson’s ‘Live from London’ is really good, but his two EPs of new material haven’t grabbed me so much. It turns out the excellent ‘Solas an Lae’ by Eoghan Ó Ceannabháin & Ultan O’Brien, which I have listened to a number of times, is from November 2020. And ‘When I Was a Young Girl’ by Barbara Dane is from 1962 (or 1899 if you believe Spotify).
Saying I’ve mostly been listening to ‘old’ suggests I’ve yet to make it past ‘Blood on the Tracks’. Instead I’ve been listening to all sorts from all different eras, most of it new to me, with no real reference to release date. Given 80+ years of recorded music, music from 2021 was never going to get much of a look in statistically. The lack of live shows at which to enthusiastically but CDs directly from the artists didn’t help.
Actually, thinking about it, I’ve probably listened to more 2021 music than I think I have, and half the problem is that I’ve not gone back to albums enough to form strong attachments.
These lists always make me feel a combination of excited, intrigued and shamed!
Ah my Cheshire Chum the title of
Karine Polwart & Dave Milligan – Still as You’re Sleeping, is actually Still as Your Sleeping (which I still find a tad odd)
Aaargh! * eats, shoots and flounces *
He rendered the Afterword quiet; like a muttering of church mice rendered squeakless and fidgetless, as still as your sleeping old dad, shrunk into his armchair next to the log fire.
Okay, first pass ranking. I’m sure I’ve left something out, so there’s a good chance this will change in the next few days…….
1. Ryley Walker – Course In Fable
2. Aimee Mann – Queens of the Summer Hotel
3. Big Big Train – Common Ground
4. The War On Drugs – I Don’t Live Here Anymore
5. Steven Wilson – THE FUTURE BITES
6. MONO – Pilgrimage of the Soul
7. Lindsey Buckingham – Lindsey Buckingham
8. Bernie Marsden – Kings
9. elbow – Flying Dream 1
10. London Grammar – Californian Soil
11. Joan Armatrading – Consequences
12. Rose City Band – Earth Trip
13. The Black Keys – Delta Kream
14. Lady Blackbird – Black Acid Soul
15. Sam Fender – Seventeen Going Under
16. Tori Amos – Ocean to Ocean
17. The Coral – Coral Island
18. Public Service Broadcasting – Bright Magic
19. St. Vincent – Daddy’s Home
20. Paul Weller – Fat Pop
Lots that almost made the list, including Wolf Alice, Plant & Kruass (just not listened to it enough yet), Poppy Ackroyd, Lorde and even Gary Kemp……
With thanks to Lodestone and his helpers, this is always more than interesting. Here’s my list:
1. Justin Adams & Mauro Durante – Still moving
2. Damon Albarn – The nearer the mountain, more pure the stream flows
3. Lee Renaldo – In virus times
4. Emma-Jean Thackray – Yellow
5. Damon Locks & Black Monument Ensemble – Now
6. Pepe Deluxe – Phantom cabinet vol.1
7. Madlib – Sound ancestors
8. The Colorist Orchestra & Howe Gelb – Not on the map
9. Low – Hey what
10. Cassandra Jenkins – An overview on phenomenal nature
11. Floating points, Pharoah Sanders & The LSO – Promises
12. Buffalo Nichols – Buffalo Nichols
13. Courtney Barnett – Things take time, take time
14. The Felice Brothers – From dreams to dust
15. Various artists – Err Rec Library vol.3: Wild life / Vie sauvage
16. Yann Tiersen – Kerber
17. Rhiannon Giddens with Francesco Turrisi – They’re calling me home
18. Various artists – Indaba is
19. Alex Chilton & Hi Rhythm Section – Boogie shoes: Live on Beale street
20. Elton John – Regimental Sgt. Zippo
“Helpers”? Since Little Gary left (after that unfortunate incident with the soap, the goat and Valge Valgus) it’s just me, the abacus and the goat (which, frankly, hasn’t said a word since Little Gary vanished.
*fistbump* for the Chilton – it’s lovely!
I have checked the posts to date and I am very surprised that the 2021 release by Cave and Ellis -Carnage. @Foxnose put it at number 1 but other than that tumbleweeds. ( That reminds me Lodes how are the comments on your Jokerman thread going).
I’m not protesting as I wasn’t a fan but normally Saint Nick always racks up the votes.
Jokerman is currently “resting”
I am sure curating that thread was exhausting
I was going to put it in my top 20 but mainly because the subsequent tour was one of my favourite gigs of the year. However the album doesnt have the same power that the songs had in a live setting. It is nowhere near as good as Skeleton Tree or Push the Sky away (IMHO).
After careful deliberation and a little bit of ‘off the top of my head’ here goes:
1) Los Lobos – Native Sons
2) The Coral – Coral Island
3) The Liminanas and Laurent Garnier – De Pelicula
4) Hayes Carll – You get it all
5) Robert Plant and Alison Krauss – Raising the Roof
6) Afterlight – Afterlight (An Afterword recommendation)
7) Jesse Malin – Sad and Beautiful World
8) Jason Isbell – Georgia Blue
9) Sons of Kemet – Back to the future
10) The Felice Brothers – From dreams to dust
11) Weather Station – Ignorance
12) Big Red Machine -How long do you think it will last?
13) Bobby Gillespie and Jehnny Beth – Utopian Ashes
14) Elbow – Flying Dream 1 ( ignore the naysayers this is really good)
15) Stephen Fretwell – Busy Guy
16) Menahan Street Band – The exciting sounds of
17) Osees – Levitation Sessions 1 and 2
18) Shannon McNally – The Waylon sessions
19) Iain Matthews – Fake Tan
20) Pharoah Sanders and the London Symphony Orchestra – Floating Points.
You included No20 cos you want to be cool like Tiggs, don’t you?
1. Am I the only person for whom Floating Points conjures up images of skinny-dipping?
2. Why do I bother asking?
I had “thoughts” when I heard the band name The Pink Mountaintops, but later discovered there really is a Pink Mountain, so I expect it’s just my smutty mind..
Well who wouldn’t want to be as cool as Tiggs?
I included it because I like it and have done since release.
Were it to impress Tiggs I would probably have included Nubia Garcia but I found albums that I preferred above that one.
re: Elbow – I “think” I Agree with you Steve.
Keep hoping that they hit the heights of (or get close to) Seldom Seen Kid again – it’s not going to happen. But this one is much better than the previous couple and a (hopeful) step onwards
The album currently well in front (bear in mind it’s early, early doors) is by a group I have never knowingly listened to until just now.
Current nominations (may change by this time tomorrow):
1=) Leo Nocentelli – Another Day
1=) Houeida Hedfi – Fleuves de l’Ame
1=) Karine Polwart & Dave Milligan – Still As Your Sleeping
1=) Cassandra Jenkins – An Overview On Phenomenal Nature
1=) Can – Live in Stuttgart 1975
Can = Cannot (see Dai after lesson)
So… ya Cannae?
I’m personally favourable to all things Canular.
First time of release, tho, innit?
I can I can’t!
My feeling is it should be allowed as “never before heard” but I’ll ask Dai…
Dai (or someone closely resembling Dai) says “Yes, Can can be allowed”
Bad Manners no be allowed.
If Can is allowed then any album released in 2021 containing 100% unreleased material should be allowed.
Therefore, for example, His Bobness`s `Springtime In New York` should be allowed.
Seems to me a right can* of worms has been opened!
*Sorry I couldn`t resist.
Hang on, does this mean that the new Gerry Rafferty album isn’t allowed??? Doesn´t make any sense to me, it’s brand new, although (very) posthumously released.
Wait…what?
This Dai would call that an archive release, like Dylan. Think this discussion happens every year.
And each year I can’t get my tiny brain round it. I’m liking the term ” archive release” and therefore on appeal Can has been canned.
What’s Suzi Quatro got to do with it?
As should Leo Nocentelli. It was recorded fifty years ago and only seeing the light of day now. It’s a member of The Meters, out of his funk comfort zone, making like James Taylor. It’s very good.
Leo gone (great record though)
good to see another fan of Houeida Hedfi! It’s an enchanting record, one of those that draws you into its world while it’s playing
1) The Killers – Pressure Machine
2) Cassandra Jenkins – Overview on phenomenal nature
3) Crowded House – Dreamers are waiting
4) Ryan Adams – Big Colors
5) Explosions In the Sky – Big Bend (Soundtrack)
6) Modest Mouse – Golden Casket
7) Cola Boyy – Prosthetic Boombox
8) Manic street Preachers – Ultra vivid lament
9) Mogwai – as the love continues
10) Bleachers – take the sadness out of saturday night
11) Ian MCnabb – Utopian
12) John MAyer – Sob Rock
13) Brandi carlile – In these silent days
14) Weather station – ignorance
15) My morning Jacket – my morning jacket
16) Kacey Musgraves – starcrossed
17) Andy Bell – Another view
18) Wolf alice – blue weekend
19) Dean Wareham – I have nothing to say to the mayor of LA
20) The Coral – Coral Island
The Killers album is really, really good.
It is, I was very pleasantly surprised, unfortunately seems to have been quickly forgotten.
1. The Lucid Dream – The Deep End
2. The Telescopes – Songs of Love and Revolution
3. Dry Cleaning – New Long Leg
4. The Aliens – Doorway Amnesia
5. Jah Wobble – Metal Box Rebuilt in Dub
6. 10000 Russos – Superinertia
7. Saint Etienne – I’ve Been Trying to Tell You
8. Raxon – Sound of Mind
9. Midwife – Luminol
10. Ishmael Ensemble – Visions of Light
11. Olivia Rodrigo – SOUR
12. Jim Bob – Who Do We Hate Today?
13. Fritz – Pastel
14. Gary Numan – Intruder
15. Pessimist – All Hope Lost
16. Mad Professor & Jah Shaka – New Decade of Dub
17. Jeff Mills – The Clairvoyant
18. 17. Maybeshewill – No Feeling is Final
19. The Third Sound – First Light
20. Lost Horizons – In Quiet Moments
A question for @leicester-bangs : I loathe PiL and love Jag Wobble, especially into his dubbier ambient immersions. I never saw much joy in Metal Box. Would I, in dub? Hazard me a guess.
No, I don’t think you would, then. There’s no Lydon on it, but it’s still very obviously Metal Box, except with a more spectral, spacious quality where the original is edgy and paranoid, and obviously a deeper — though not *that* much deeper, in fairness — bass sound.
Yes, But, now you’ve brought it to my attention, I think I’ll love it!
Cheers
I wish I’d spent more time on the rankings now. MBRID isn’t as good as Ishmael Ensemble, for example.
Change away – not as though I have a life
Hmmm … that Jah Wobble album sounds interesting. I hadn’t read about it at all.
I love “Metal Box”….
Judging by one listen, it’s brilliant. Very heavy. Suiting my black mood perfectly. Thanks Leicester.
And, against the suspicion rendered above, I concur. Terrific dark and melodic rumbling, with nary a flicker of the yowling narcissist to curdle my enjoyment.
Altho, cocooned into a complacent regard for this, suddenly Wobble starts some spoken word, which is just about tolerable, and then, 5 tracks in, Wobble bloody starts singing in Lydon-lite, the reminder of the original tones enough to have me choke on my hob-nob….. It was a dead cert sale ahead that moment.
1. Big Hogg – Pageant of Beasts
2. Hedvig Mollestad Trio – Ding Dong, You’re Dead
3. Eydis Evensen – Bylur
4. Patricia Brennan – Maquishti
5. Sarah McQuaid – The St Buryan Sessions
6. Big Big Train – Common Ground
7. Teenage Fanclub – Endless Arcade
8. Martha Marlow – Medicine Man
9. Dave Holland – Another Land
10. Chloe Herington – Silent Reflux
11. Morricone – piano music (Roberto Prosseda)
12. Rose City Band – Earth Trip
13. Field Music – Flat White Moon
14. Felice Brothers – From Dreams to Dust
15. Steve Hackett – Under a Mediterranean Sky
16. David Crosby – For Free
17. Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit – Georgia Blue
18. Andrew Wasylyk – Balgay Hill: Morning in Magnolia
19. English Music for Strings (Britten/Bliss/Bridge/Berkeley) – Sinfonia of London/John Wilson
20. Laura Meade – The Most Dangerous Woman in America
Aha! another Eydís Evensen fan!
Yes, indeed – what we lack in numbers, we make up for in fervour…
@henpetsgi
Apologies, man – a last minute change. An object lesson on posting too early.
King Crimson – Music is Our Friend goes in at number 20. It arrived late, but I’ve been listening to it a lot over the last few days and it deserves to be in my top 20 – Bargie’s post reminded me I hadn’t asked you yet…
Laura Meade is bumped to the coveted number 21 spot – nil points, but still better than being number 42 on the Duke’s list…
Sorry, King Crimson not allowed on the grounds of sense and sensibility. And taste.
Hold on! Apparently I’m supposed to be impartial and allow such madness. This bloody cross gets heavier and heavier
Arf!
@henpetsgi
Sincere apologies, Lodey – one further (final) change. I usually post at the end of the month – object lesson on not posting too early, especially if you buy the odd new thing in December…
Remove Georgia Blue at number 17.
Replace with The Anchoress – The Art of Losing
Not allowed , Georgia Blue is too good to lose . Try again
Well, yes…but…no.
With only 20 available point-scoring slots, Georgia Blue has to go. Still in my top 22, mind…
1. The Coral – Coral Island.
2. Gentleman’s Dub Club – Down to Earth.
3. Smith & Burrows – Only Smith & Burrows is good enough.
4. Del Amitri – Fatal Mistakes.
5. Arab Strap – As Days go Dark.
6. Real Tuesday Weld – Blood
7. Red Rum Club – How to Steel the World.
8. ABBA – Voyage.
9. Django Django – Glowing in the Dark.
10. Jackie Leven – Straight Outta Caledonia.
Only 10 for me as still listening to loads of old stuff.
Dai has confirmed Jackie Leven is canned. If necessary, Dai is available for further discussion: his private Zoom address is “Welshguyincanadanoideawhy”
Actually it’s “Welshguyincanadaicamehereforlove” @henpetsgi
Ah, poutine….
Not sure how I missed the Smith and Burrows. Better than Del Amitri you say…. Nearly time to listen to Funny Little Angels my one musical Christmas tradition….
So much (or so little) has happened this year, I was convinced it was a 2020 release.
Ah ok no worries i’ll Just have a top 9
The votes from the Arch Stanton Jury are…
1. Little Simz – sometimes I might be introvert
2. Genesis Owusu – smiling with no teeth. (Not officially released yet in the uk – but if you like Prince check him out. He mixes rock, funk, rap, soul to a very pleasing result. He should be massive.)
3. Anna B savage – a common turn
4.Amyl and the sniffers – Comfort to me.
5. Self esteem- Priority pleasure. ( pop album of the year by a mile. Sorry ABBA.)
6. Psychedelic porn crumpets – SHYGA
7.Jane Weaver – Flock
8.Mogwai – as the love continues
9.Nick Cave – Carnage
10. Dublonde – homecoming
11.Cobalt Chapel – orange synthetic
12.Shame – Drunk tank pink
13. Gruff Rhys -seeking new Gods
14. Modest mouse – the golden casket
15.Torres – Thirster
16. Audiobooks- astrotough
17.black midi – cavalcade
18. Idles – crawler
19. Gasped auge – Escapades
20.Squid- Bright green field
I was surprised that Smiling With No Teeth didn’t feature in any of the “best ofs” I’ve seen around and about. I hadn’t realised it wasn’t officially released in the U.K. yet..
I’m not sure. It’s on Spotify but you can only buy the cd/vinyl in Aus. There’s been zero promotion for him over here and you’d imagine 6 music would be over him like a cheap suit because he ticks all their boxes.
Ooh arch-stanton
That difficult second album for Shame…
1. Rose City Band – Earth Trip
2. War On Drugs – I Don’t Live Here Anymore
3. Sam Fender – Seventeen Going Under
4. Du Blonde – Homecoming
5. Field Music – Flat White Moon
6. Robert Plant and Alison Krauss – Raise The Roof
Rose City Band excellent choice not my No.1 album but definitely in my top 5.
Not one vote for Man Made by Greentea Peng? Album of the year!!!
Danny George Wilson – Another Place
The Chills – Scatterbrain
Lord Huron – Long Lost
The Coral – Coral Island
Valerie June – The Moon and The Stars
Teenage Fanclub – Endless Arcade
The Riverbreaks – Forever
Ian McNabb – Utopian
Broken Chanter – Catastrophe Hits
Billie Marten – Flora Fauna
Gary Louris – Jump for Joy
Peter Bruntnell – Journey to the Sun
The Catenary Wires – Birling Gap
The Suncharms – Distant Lights
The Lathums – How Beautiful Life Can Be
Del Amitri – Fatal Mistakes
Fortitude Valley – Fortitude Valley
Xan Tyler & Mad Professor – Clarion Call
Admiral Fallow – The Idea Of You
Model Village – World of Carp
Thumbs up for Peter Bruntnell, sorely underrated.
Thumbs up for Model Village. That’s earned me approximately 0.001p in royalties.
Just heard the Floating Points thing. It’s nice. I think it’s mainly the kind of thing that exists to make ageing Guardian readers feel hip, though, a bit like Kendrick Lamar. There’s a particular outpost of most genres which is best described as “[genre] for people who don’t really like [genre] but wish they did”, and much of that music is often quite good – or at least very nice – but it’s also usually something from a famously sharp-edged genre, but is itself absent sharp edges or anything which would frighten the horses too badly.
This feels like one of those. Jazz for people who don’t like jazz (like me) but wish they did. Electronica for people who don’t like electronica but wish they did.
It was nice, though. I’d stick it on if I had people round for dinner. They might think I was sophisticated, and that would be… nice.
I thought it quite nice too. Though it just sounds like pretty standard “ambient” to me. I like ambient (especially to sleep to) but it’s not exactly the widest genre.
I think you meant to have posted this on the dissing thread. I will defend my favourite album of the year here, if that’s okay?
Promises is neither, Jazz, Electronica, Classical or Ambient. Yes, there are quiet moments. Yes, there is a Jazz legend stealing the show. Yes, an orchestra unleashes its awesome power. And, yes, keyboard play a tiny musical fragment holds the whole thing together. Promises is a finely-judged balance of harmony, melody, Reichian repetition and huge sweeps of emotion. Sanders, by turn, ruminates, builds intensity, blends with the orchestra and even provides some vocal flutters. It’s a virtuoso display, joyful, mature, deeply human, that is half a decade away from the wild skronking that so excited John Coltrane. By all means, play it at a dinner party and, almost without realising it, I guarantee you and your guests will find yourself drawn into its secrets, its tensions and its blissful releases. Promises is best experienced as a whole and listened to with patience. It’s a piece that suspends time and creates its own moods. It’s way better than ‘nice’.
Still. If you don’t like it, that’s fair enough but let’s give those musicians and composer credit for trying to do something a bit different, a little out of the ordinary.
I don’t think either me or Hedgepig were the dissing the album. I think we both quite liked it. Not as much as yourself, obvs, but certainly not a negative reaction. I’ll have to give it another listen though. I’ve only listened the once (a. without concentrating and b. I’m partially deaf) but my impression was that it seemed very quiet and typically ambient. I’ll certainly give it another go.
I’m with Retro in disliking (very much) the album. That doesn’t make me Right, tis all personal opinions after all, AfterWord.
However, I’m not giving them credit for trying something different: credit is reserved for any good no matter the laudable intentions.
As for playing it at a dinner party….
It’s more of a response to that other thread.
It took years to create. I always feel sorry for the artists who give their all, dedicating their lives with little financial reward (mostly), only to have the product summarily dismissed by people who have barely listened to it properly (six listens is my benchmark). We are not talking about a piece quickly dashed off to exploit a gap in the market. Promises is serious and weighty, but not without its humourus moments. It deserves respect.
Really? ‘Deserves respect’, eh? Sorry, Tiggs, that comment only has me losing a little. Smacks of ‘don’t you know who I am’ territory and elitism. Like Mr Points should worry: he got the same royalty whether I liked it or not. I listened again after, actually, @baron-harkonnenn defended it, in case I had drifted off in later movements. I still thought it indulgent tosh. Maybe good for putting on at a dinner party when you need folk to leave. Still, we won’t fall out; some of your enthusiasms have appealed to me and introduced me to new names I now enjoy. But this has to go on the other pile, along with Kamasi Washington.
….”good for putting on at a dinner party when you need folk to leave” – hey, now I’m interested!
Robert Wyatt, another artist I love, remains the king of this party trick.
I’m sure Mr. Points is delighted we are talking about it, good or bad. It’s the first album of his to gain any real traction in a wider world.
These two arf-worthy comments put you back in my good books again, Mr T.
Re the Chairman Mao hitmaker, this could explain why nobody ever comes back for a 2nd meal chez Retro.
This really makes the whole thing sound like homework.
I didn’t diss it, in any case. It’s nice. None of my admittedly mischievous little post was a piss-take of Mr Points or Colonel* Sanders.
*honorary, Parp Regiment
Tiggs seems to be suggesting that any “serious” work (best of luck defining serious) needs at least 6 listens before judgement on worth can be made. That’s just plain Wrong. I don’t care if Floaty & Crew took five years to make this record and I really don’t need six listens to declare it’s not for me. I can describe it as pretentious piffle cos that’s what I think it is but that’s one aged bloke’s opinion. An opinion that is just as valid or invalid as whoever else has an opinion.
It took more than six listens for me to realise that the Album of The Year is Chemtrails. That’s the very same Chemtrails that has so far garnished not a single vote.
Clearly, you lot are Wrong and I am, of course, Right. Possibly. Perhaps. Definitely.
Chemtrails isn’t as good as Banisters, IMHO.
Of course you can decide it’s not for you as soon as you like but, without six listens, you haven’t given it a fair enough shake to dismiss it altogether. Same is true the other way. Some records have an immediate impact that wears off quickly.
I can only repeat to the most literate and caring chap on this forum, Tiggs – you is talking bollox. There are some records that are difficult but you know pretty soon whether or not you are going to eventually “get” it. So you persevere.
Then there is something so far out of your personal tastes that it needs but one listen to decree “not for me”. As the Mighty Mooche says ,”Life is just too short”.
I may be able to help Lana out on this point. But not until I have finished listening x 6 to those still in the post. (Mr Fender, Ms’s Ackroyd and Peel and those nice Amitri boys, since you ask.) But, so far, she looks a solid 17. I haven’t heard Banisters and won’t be soon, as she is getting overly confident of my patronage, needing a pause for reflection.)
Personally I have such a vanishingly small amount of time in the week to listen to anything, that I’m not going to be listening to anything more than once if it hasn’t grabbed me. I don’t know how you people have time to sleep.
John Lennon rejected that last sentence as ‘too kind’.
So Sgt Pepper took you
up the chuffby surpriiiiiseI found this one to be a grower – the first listen did not grab me, but I thought “it’s Pharaoh Sanders – try it again” and played it a few more times, not always giving it my full attention. But the 5th listen totally hooked me – I’ve listened to it a lot, there’s a great deal of depth and detail in it, and a great heart too
I’m with Tiggerlion. I dissed it on first listen but it’s probably my album of the year. I am ploughing through some of the choices on this very thead before I commit to voting, (I can sense you all holding your breath) but I can’t see anything beating it. It reveals depths on each listen. I don’t listen to much jazz or indeed electronica either and like Tiggerlion I don’t think this is either of those.
*fist bump*
*jaw thump* (mine; on the ground.) 😉
A record can be a brilliant execution of what it’s trying to do and you can simply not like it. I sidestep anything contemporary described as “metal” and approach “jazz” with extreme caution, just as there’s a constituency on here that insists on describing certain music as “hippity hoppity” despite the fact that it’s been around longer than deram’s beloved CD format…
For the first time ever, Sparks released a new album and it isn’t in my top list. I’m fairly sure I haven’t racked up 6 complete listens yet (in fact I think I only got to the end once). There are some cracking tracks on it that I’ve occasionally cherry-picked but there are several that I hate. Given that I’m squarely in the camp that music is for enjoying, if I’m not enjoying an album, why listen?
How Wrong can I be?
At the end of Week 1, Floaty & Crew are firmly in the coveted No2 spot….
And STILL no votes for Chemtrails.
I’ve just discovered that Billy Bragg has a new album out (missed that one!) and it sounds flipping good.
(Not on my list yet – only just got it – but just thought I’d put it out there …)
Has Billy’s voice improved @Rigid_Digit or am I being too kind?
I quite like that, think I’ll investigate this album.
He has clearly had singing lessons, probably between the Guthrie records and his last 3 records, 4 if you include the one with Joe Henry, there being a distinct improvement then, as well as him adopting a good old transatlantic for his newer more Americana-ey material. He can still turn on the bark of Barding on demand, mind, in concert.
I don’t mind his Bard of Barking voice and quite enjoyed his early LPs but they disappeared and never returned. I’ve ordered his new album and managed to get his Vol. 1 & 2 box sets for a decent price on Discogs. So Billy’s gonna feature on my stereo over Yuletide.
I much prefer the Bard of Barking. I couldn’t listen to the transatlantic voice for a second time (forget the supposed six mentioned elsewhere).
Ian McNabb – Utopian
Phil Odgers – Ghosts of Rock n Roll
Manic Street Preachers -Ultra Vivid Lament
Teenage Fanclub – Endless Arcade
Mastadon – Hushed and Grim
Son Volt – Electro Melodier
The Coral – Coral Island
The Besnard Lakes – Are the Last of the Great Thunderstorm Warnings
The War on Drugs – I Don’t Live Here Anymore
Strand of Oaks – In Heaven
Manics are doing well!
As are The Coral…
Phil Odgers, I’d forgotten about this great album. My 20 for 21 has just got more difficult.
The scary new pandemic world has caused many to retreat to the cosy and familiar and there’s certainly nothing new about the straightforward house beats and well-used keyboard chords of my two favourite records. But here’s the thing: they both moved me more than anything else.
Here’s another thing: the songs are in the right order. That’s more than you can say for a lot of the other albums I’ve heard this year.
One artist got the order so wrong that she put seven of her best songs on an entirely different LP. I have a playlist on Spotify called Frankenlana* (8 songs from each album) – it would have been number 2 on this list.
Anyway. Here goes:
1. Fred again.. – Actual Life (April 14 – December 17 2020)
2. For Those I Love – For Those I Love
I was summoned to the church of pop by The Leader Of The Gang and I’ve always loved the artificial and downright silly, but, every once in a while, I am transfixed by sincerity.
3. Tiggs Da Author – Blame It On The Youts
The ass-shaking party record of the year.
4. Sleigh Bells – Texis
Throbbing with Psychocandy energy (all the songs are made from the same basic ingredients – in this case overcaffeinated Age Of Chance skittering drum machine, keyboard stabs, just the right amount of British Steel-era Judas Priest riffs and the sweet refrains, melodies and voice of Alexis Krause – and the more each sounds like the one before the more momentum is built. Play Loud.
5. Valerie June – The Moon And Stars: Prescription For Dreamers
6. Celeste – Not Your Muse
Just me?
To my ears, this fills the same slot as A Girl Called Eddy did last year – classically structured songs you’re half-sure you heard somewhere before, sung beautifully.
7. Self Esteem – Prioritise Pleasure
Machine tooled to slice through the competition and appear at the top of end of year polls, but while Rebecca’s message has acquired muscle, I miss the more tender harmonies like In Time and Favourite Problem from her debut. (Yes – I’m going to be the “preferred her earlier stuff” guy..)
Also: do Northern English lasses really call it their “pussy”? I’m having second thoughts about Mrs Slocombe now..
8. Esther Rose – How Many Times
9. Joy Crookes – Skin
10. Little Simz – Sometimes I Might Be Introvert
11. Japanese Breakfast – Jubilee
12. Lana Del Rey – Blue Banisters
13. Jon Batiste – WE ARE
14. Houston Kendrick – Small Infinity
15. Tony Allen – There Is No End
16. Baby Queen – Baby Kingdom
17. Dave – We’re All Alone In This Together
18. Genesis Owusu – Smiling With No Teeth
19. Mumu Fresh – Queen Of Culture
…and then there’s about a dozen I can’t separate so I’ll have none of ‘em..’
*yes I KNOW Frankenstein is not the name of the monster, so just don’t..
Good shout for Celeste. I haven’t played it often, but when I do I’m surprised all over again by how good it is. Not one to gorge on regularly; rather it should be savoured as an occasional feast.
1. Moon Moth – Lola In Slacks
2. A Little More Time With The Reigning Sound
3. Black To The Future – Sons Of Kemet
4. With Love From Glasgow – Rebecca Vasmant
5. Arclight – Julian Lage
6. Native Sons – Los Lobos
7. Promises – Floating Points, Pharaoh Sanders, LSO
8. Ancient Africa – Nat Birchall
9. The Exciting Sounds Of – The Menahan Street Band
10. Boogie Shoes – Live On Beale Street – Alex Chilton with the Hi Rhythm Section
11. She Walks In Beauty – Marianne Faithfull with Warren Ellis
12. As The Love Continue – Mogwai
and that concludes the voting from Casa Malo
Never heard of any of them bands. Moon Moth? Ancient Africa? As The Love Continue?
Honestly, I don’t know why I bother.
Loving the new album by Chemtrails Over The Country Club by the way
Mmmm…. some very nice records in that list, el hombre.
One small thing: Julian Lage’s album “Arclight” came out in 2016.
His acclaimed 2021 album is “Squint”. Perhaps you meant that one?
yes, you are correct – I meant to vote for Squint. (I’ve been listening to both of them, having missed him until fairly recently.) Thanks @Duco01!
Great list, and good to see a nod for Floating Points (which I stupidly neglected to put on my own list).
It took me a while to get into it, mainly because it’s a bit of a departure from his previous stuff, which I love, but once it clicks…
18!
https://www.npr.org/2021/12/07/1058580780/olivia-rodrigo-tiny-desk-home-concert?utm_source=npr_newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=20211211&utm_term=6086867&utm_campaign=music&utm_id=46841276&orgid=&utm_att1=&jwsource=cl
With a bullet. An old uni pal of mine’s daughter, Daisy Veacock, is also 18 (I think) and making a bit of a splash on the live circuit (her dad plays saxophone with Jools Holland’s band). She’s just released her first EP, ‘Lockdown Loser’.
Only got around to clicking on this link. Sensational, of course and, yes, she looks so young. I feel bad now for not giving her a spot in my top 20 cos I find some of her lyrics a bit OTT..
I was referring to Olivia, there – but Daisy’s song is rather fine too..
That’s excellent; the lady can sing like a motherfucker.
Very happily, I have scored tickets to her London show next Summer. Covid-permitting, it will be my daughter’s first ever live gig. I have promised I will stand ten yards away when I’m punching the air and trying to hit the big crescendo on Traitor.
Though I haven’t bought an awful lot of new stuff this year (mainly reissues) these have been highly regarded :
1 Starry Eyed & Laughing – Bells of lightning
2 The Immediate Family – The Immediate Family
3 Caravan – It’s none of your business
4 Public Service Broadcasting – Bright Magic
5 Leo Nocentelli – Another side
6 Neil Young – Barn (although I’ve only listened to it once)
Leo already Canned.
Need @Dai to adjudicate on Barn
And Caravan are all dead, aren’t they?
Adjudicate what?
Is Neil, is Caravan, yours or mine?
Neil is a new album from 2021, don’t know what Caravan is
As ever, yours.
ps Caravan was a very popular band back in the twelfth century. Their manager, one Jeff Chaucer, chronicled their early struggles in a pithily titled essay “Prog, What Is It Good For?”
I think the Caravan album is a new one…first new one from them since 2013…
https://madfishmusic.bandcamp.com/album/its-none-of-your-business
Cheers. Uncanned.
I agree with Starry Eyed And Laughing`s `Bells Of Lightning` easily my No.1 album of 2021 miles ahead of everything else.
A special thank you to @niallb for posting a thread on this superb album without this I may have missed this release.
Thank you, good Baron.
OK. After much deliberation and listening, this is as close to a final list as I’ll get.
1. Loney Dear – A Lantern And A Bell
2. Laura Mvula – Pink Noise
3. Aaron Lee Tasjan – Tasjan! Tasjan! Tasjan!
4. Kacy & Clayton & Marlon Williams – Plastic Bouquet *
5. Jeff Tweedy – Love Is The King
6. Sarah Klang – VIRGO
7. Andreas Mattsson – Soft Rock
8. Markus Krunegård – TUTTI FRUTTI – från lokalen under sushin
9. LUMP – Animal
10. Anders F. Rönnblom – Framtiden är en underbar plats att komma till
11. Villagers – Fever Dreams
12. Lars Danielsson – Cloudland
13. Aimee Mann – Queens Of The Summer Hotel
14. Martha Marlow – Medicine Man
15. King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard – L.W.; Explorations Into Microtonal Tuning, Vol. 3
16. The Paper Kites – Roses
17. Durand Jones & The Indications – Private Space
18. Thåström – Dom Som Skiner
19. Mdou Moctar – Afrique Victime
20. Jakob Hellman – Äntligen Borta
* Yes, I know that the Kacy & Clayton album technically was released mid-December of 2020 (which is very late anyway), but it wasn’t available in physical form (here in Sweden at least) until quite some time into 2021, so I claim it counts! If I can vote for Tweedy now, for the same reason, then Hell Yes.
Also; quoting you in the OP: “Previously undiscovered , unreleased and unheard masterpieces which have never seen the light of day before Jan 1st 2021 are allowed” – shouldn’t that mean that (yes, I know I’m beating a dead – sorry – horse here) that Gerry Rafferty’s NEW unreleased album Rest In Blue should be allowed? 🙂 If so, replace my no. 20 with that one, please…
Hmmm. But also my attempt to vote for Love is the King (for the 2nd time?) Was thwarted above.
I didn’t vote for it last year, because I had only listened to it on Spotify and I can never get into any music properly on Spotify – it sounds weird, for some reason!
I agree, but think I bought a download or got a free one last year when I ordered the vinyl. Was a running soundtrack for a while.
Tweedy was canned early days – it achieved a very respectable placing in the 2020 poll.
No idea which fool wrote “undiscovered masterpieces are allowed”. Seriously, this area is a minefield and I have no real clue if Gerry should be allowed in.
Whilst you ponder…..
Had a quick chat with Gerry and he says it’s fine with him.
OK, so spell it out for me: which entries on my list will not be allowed – I’ll want to replace them with others to make a complete Top 20!
Tweedy gone, Rafferty in., Kacy & Layton subject to judicial review
I checked, and it wasn’t on last year’s list…if that helps you make a decision! 😉
Tweedy came 25th last year, just checked.
OK, so if Tweedy is out and K&C&MW can stay in (you didn’t say it couldn’t), then when you remove Tweedy will you please move up everyone from 6th to 16th place one spot, and then stick Gerry in at number 16?
Alternatively; if you plan to disallow K&C&MW as well, then do the same thing but move everyone up two spots, put Gerry in at 15, move everyone behind him up one spot each, and stick Gary Numan’s Intruder at number 20…
Love that cover image, I haven’t seen that. The mighty John Byrne!
EDIT – The Gerry Rafferty cover I mean.
Yes, @dai, but I was talking about the Kacy & Clayton album.
Ahhhh.
Don’t think 2021 was a classic in terms of music (or anything else come to think of it).
1. Kings of Convenience – Peace or Love
2. Birdy – Young Heart
3. Cassandra Jenkins – An Overview of Phenomenal Nature
4. Crowded House – Dreamers Ae Waiting
5. Steven Wilson – The Future Bites
6. Daniel Tashian/Burt Bacharach – Blue Umbrella
7. MG Boulter – Clifftown
8. Kacey Musgraves – Star-crossed
9. Leon Bridges – Gold-Diggers Sound
10. Azure Ray – Remedy
11. Loney Dear – A Lantern and a Bell
12. David Crosby – For Free
The MG Boulter album’s great, isn’t it? I first saw him when he came to support and play lap steel with Blue Rose Code for us about five years ago. He likes a nice cuppa char.
Yeah – he was a new name to me. A recommendation from my brother in law who heard it on the Andy Kershaw pod. I was expecting something very ordinary tbh but Im really impressed.
Ah! – Feedback and fentonsteve have beaten me to it in celebrating the M.G. Boulter album ,which is indeed excellent.
Suffice it to say that the Essex man features in a high position on a certain list. You know what list I’m talking about, don’t you, Afterworders? The list that hasn’t appeared yet. The list that SHAKES THE INTERNET TO ITS FOUNDATIONS every year. The chart with the choicest, plumpest raisins picked out of the stodgy old musical cake. Yeah, brother and sisters, I’m talking about …
The duco01 45 Favourite New Albums of 2021
It’s coming to this very board. Tomorrow. Probably.
Really? Ol’ cloth ears here really can’t understand the acclaim offered M.G. Boulter. One good song, the first one, before circling around and around the plughole with death by tweeness, thin vocals and all. And I saw him play some of it live, at Maverick in the summer. (I heard the album loads, btw, as I had been offered a copy to review, declining after I realised i couldn’t be nice.)
I saw him at a chapel in Leigh on Sea this summer (his album is about Sarfend I believe). Not a fan myself — rather more in the retropath camp if anything — but I did have some nice ales by the seaside later, which improved the evening.
No one is listening now but it appears I have bought 5 albums this year so here goes…
1. The Stranglers. Dark Matters. I can’t tell you how happy this album makes me. I know it’s no ‘78 Black and White but still, it gets me going round the kitchen.
2. ABBA. Voyage. Yep, BOF.
3. The Chills. Scatterbrain. It’s the Chills!
4. John Grant. Boy from Michigan. Of course it’s not the QOD but it’s his best since.
5. Nick Cave and Warren Ellis. Carnage. Reliably grim.
Stay tuned for more rock n roll.
Nine from me.
1. St Vincent – Daddy’s Home
2. Novelty Island – How are you Enjoying this Century?
3. Silver Twin – Silver Twin
4. Aimee Mann – Queens of the Summer Hotel
5. Del Amitri – Fatal Mistakes
6. Jeremy Porter and the Tucos – Candy Coated Cannonball
7. Field Music – Flat White Moon
8. Jimmy Regal and the Royals – Ain’t Done Yet
9. Crowded House – Dreamers are Waiting
That’s a great name for an album by Novelty Island. I’ll give it a listen because of that (and I like it’s sleeve art too).
Is is endorsed by doctors, dentists and architects?
Moose, you workshy fop!
Yeah, it’s very good isn’t it. Only had time for one listen so far, so it may not make my top 20, but thanks for the top tip @TrypF
1. Martyn Joseph – 1960
2. The Coral – Coral Island
3. Curse of Lono – People in Cars
4. Robert Plant & Alison Kraus – Raise the Roof
5. Teenage Fanclub – Endless Arcade
6. Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real – A Few Stars Apart
7. Steve Earle & Dukes – JT
8. Jackson Browne – Downhill from Everywhere
9. Rodney Crowell – Triage
10. Elbow – Flying Dream 1
11. Danny George Wilson – Another Place
12. Sam Fender – Seventeen Going Under
13. Lindsey Buckingham – Lindsey Buckingham
14. Daniel Tashian/Burt Bacharach – Blue Umbrella
15. Kacey Musgraves – Star-crossed
16. David Crosby – For Free
17. Crowded House – Dreamers are Waiting
18.Aaron Lee Tasjan – Tasjan! Tasjan! Tasjan!
19.The Lathums – How Beautiful Life Can Be
20.Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit – Georgia Blue
I have 12 of those albums on your list @Wiggy. Six of which will be in my 20 for 21.
It is an interesting list indeed. Good to see the Curse will be getting, at least, their yearly vote.
Only three of these have been previously cited, as far as I can see – quite what that signifies I wouldn’t like to say.…
1. Sierra Ferrell – Long Time Coming
My discovery of 2021. Sierra is something special – her songs channel the spirit of old-timey country and jazz so well it feels like they’ve been around forever. If this reaches just one other person here, my job here is done and you can forget the rest of this list. (Not really.)
2. Vanishing Twin – Ookii Gekkou
Moving a bit further from their Broadcast influences to include elements of exotica and African rhythms, this is a fabulous-sounding and adventurous album.
3. Dougie Stu – Familiar Future
Lush, warm, jazzy, soundtrack-y textures – an aural hug.
4. Jane Weaver – Flock
Touted as her move to “pop”, but not a huge stylistic shift from her recent albums in truth. That’s a good thing. The track Modern Reputation is a stunner.
5. Marissa Nadler – The Path of the Clouds
The 9th “proper” album from the raven-haired doomster, and one of her best – full of lush textures and intriguing stories. Recommended track: If I Could Breathe Underwater.
6. Beautify Junkyards – Cosmorama
Woozy psychedelia/electronica/acid-folk from Portugal on the Ghost Box label – a lot of interesting stuff going on here.
7. Andrew Wasylyk – Balgay Hill: Morning In Magnolia
Beautifully wistful soundscapes on this Clay Pipe Music winner.
8. Hampshire & Foat – The Upturned Glass
Supposedly depicts a day in the life of Ventnor on the IoW, whence these chaps hail. Actually, it doesn’t sound markedly different from their outer-space-inspired album of a couple of years back, but I love their style so worries me not a jot. A great pressing too.
9. Lost Horizons – In Quiet Moments
Beautifully expansive and emotional double album from Simon “Cocteau Twins” Raymonde and Richie Thomas, plus numerous guest vocalists including John Grant and Marissa Nadler.
10. Amanda Whiting – After Dark
Lovely jazz harp from the Welsh jazz, erm, harpist
11. Christine Ott – Time to Die
Great solo album from the doyenne of the Ondes Martenot (among other instruments), following on from last year’s Snowdrops album collaboration, but this time around with more of an edge.
12. Sarah Davachi – Antiphonals
Arguably a slightly more austere work than last year’s wonderful Cantus, Descant, but more beautiful minimalism from SD.
13. Molly Lewis – The Forgotten Edge
In 2021 the world was finally ready for a collection of exotica & Morricone-inspired tunes by a virtuoso whistler…
It means Little Gary’s fingers will be worn to the bone (not, it has to said, a rare occurrence) typing out yet more bands & albums he has never heard of before your post.
Soz, Lodz
Thanks for reminding me of the excellence of Andrew Wasylyk’s Balham Hill.
You’re welcome…
(See waaaay above)
Reminding me again!
Re Sierra Ferrel….your work is done 👍great stuff…. thank you.
Excellent! 🙂
She’s playing St Pancras Old Church in Jan but long sold out. And who knows if it’ll even happen now…
I liked your chart last year, and particularly the Snowdrops album. Just one listen to the Christine Ott album and I know Time to Die will be a favourite for me. It is captivating.
Aw, thanks! There’s also a new Snowdrops album, Inner Fires, that I’ve only just got hold of so too late to make my list, but it’s very much in the vein of Time to Die…
The votes aren’t exactly flooding in this year so a few days earlier than usual here are the nominations from The Languedoc:
1. Lana del Rey – Chemtrails Over The Country Club
2. Lana del Rey – Blue Banisters
3. Olivia Rodrigo – Sour
4. Lorde – Solar Power
5. Taylor Swift – Red (Taylor’s Version)
6. Cassandra Jenkins – Phenomenal Nature
7. Little Simz – Might Be Introvert
8. Arlo Parks – Collapsed In Sunbeams
9. Matt Sweeney & Bonnie Prince Billy – Superwolves
10. Sam Fender – Seventeen Going Under
11. Ryan Adams – Big Colors
12. Ryan Adams – Wednesdays
13. Jason Isbell & 400 Unit – Georgia Blue
I may well a few more anon after listening more to previous recommendations (eg Sierra Ferrell)
Wow! You are really down with the kids. Your top eight are all young women singing bangers.
Girlz Power! ( think that’s the bangin’ term)
I also have Lodey’s top 5, and would add Billie Eilish, Griff and Olivia Rodrigo to boost my Cool Grandad credentials.
Olivia is so good you’ve voted for her twice? It’s against the rules, I said ..
Cool Blind Grandad. Coming soon to a blues bar near you…
God, he hasn’t wandered off again, has he?
(*cough*) According to Spotify, Ryan’s Wednesdays came out in December 2020. Now, I don’t give a flying one, but as you’re being fussy about the criteria of eligibility, Lodester, I thought I should mention it..
You believe a capitalist serial abuser of artist’s revenue over me? I disappoint.
I thought its release got delayed due to the pandemic and some “personal” problems Ry was experiencing. I might indeed be Wrong but having consulted with the completely independent Jury (nice chap in charge, eminently sensible and completely independent) it has been decided I am, in fact, Right.
Now, don’t forget to have your booster and, for heaven’s sake, if you must have a Christmas Party – no photographs!!
Surprised to see Lorde so high. I’d have this as one of the biggest disappoints of the year. A massive drop in quality from the sublime second album.
Also looking at your list, have you give the self esteem album a listen?
I agree about Self Esteem. I gave it a listen because it was The Guardian’s number one and first impressions are rather good. A lot better than many others in Lodey’s top ten.
I’ve also given Lana a bit of a go. Bit samey, don’t you think, and not quite as stunning as Norman?
The Self Esteem direction is one of my biggest disappointments over the past couple of years. I really liked Slow Club (and still do). I started following Rebecca Taylor’s twitter feed originally just to find out some Slow Club stage times and then kept with it to find out about gigs. I really wish I liked her new stuff. I listened to the Self Esteem debut album 6 or 7 times and it isn’t for me. The stuff I’ve heard from the latest seem to be more in the same direction (but notably different songs). The closeness to the top of so many end of year lists mean that I’ll probably now listen to the whole album because I feel I’m missing out on something.
Lorde is a grower – 10 listens needed.
For a real disappointment, Self Esteem takes an Albert Hall-sized biscuit: trite with a capital W.
Surprised at the “bit samey” comment re Lana – two more different albums hard to imagine.
How about ‘We Are The Anti-Nowhere League’ and ‘Liberace Plays Piaf’?
The Lorde album is absolutely sublime, but didn’t match people’s expectations of her following the same musical route as PH and Melodrama, hence the misplaced disappointment. This is also true to a certain extent with the reception for the Billie Eilish album, which is also outstanding on its own terms.
Morning, Lodestar.
Morning.
You got a bit carried away nominating all them women, didn’t you?
Guilty as charged
You missed two fab albums off your list, didn’t you?
Steve Earle – JT and Counting Crows – Butter Miracle Suite. Steve No.5 and Crows No. 14. Sorry.
Nae probs
So far, about 40 charts and 360 albums
360 out of a MAXIMUM 800..
My perennial underachiever list:
1. You get it all – Hayes Carll
2. Enjoy the view – We Were Promised Jetpacks
3. Lo! Soul – Roddy Woomble
4. That spell – Andrea von Kampen
You Get It All have a new album out?
1. Allison Russell – Outside Child
2. Henry Parker – Lammas Fair
3. Nishla Smith – Friends With Monsters
4. John Smith – The Fray
5. Harbottle & Jonas – The Beacon
6. Della Mae – Family Reunion
7. Nigel Price Organ Trio – Wes Reimagined
8. Elbow – Flying Dreams 1
9. Shannon McNally – The Waylon Sessions
10. Nancy Kerr – Tunnellers
11. Otherish – Otherish
12. Sarah McQuaid – The St Buryan Sessions
13. Reg Meuross and Harbottle & Jonas – Songs of Love and Death
14. Jacob & Drinkwater – More Notes From The Field
15. Edward II – The Dancing Tunes
16. Cassandra Jenkins – An Overview on Phenomenal Nature
17. Faeland – When I Close My Eyes
That’s all he wrote
Very disappointed, V. At least three in there that have been voted for already…..
Spreadsheet disappears into hyperspace
Blinkin ‘eck. Wasn’t even aware that John Smith and Nancy Kerr had new albums out. That’s what happens when you haven’t live performances (nor fRoots) to alert you to new material.
Don’t tell Lodey but Nancy Kerr’s Tunnellers is an EP , commissioned by the British Tunnelling Society. However I see from her Twitter that she has a new solo album released tomorrow
I saw Awake Arise yesterday at Bury Met, withour Rowan Rheingas who was isolating and bought a download card for their new album, but I doubt I’ll have time to listen to it enough to incorporate into my Top 20. Artists shouldn’t be allowed to release albums in December. How on earth do they expect to get into the Afterword Top 20?
Splendid – another vote for Sarah McQuaid!
That will be my no.1 too, when I get around to posting.
Due to see her at Celtic Connections in January (fingers crossed).
My most listened-to albums this year are three that I didn’t pick up on when they were originally released:
Kjartan Sveinsson – Der Klang der Offenbarung des Göttlichen (a wonderful modern classical ‘opera’ from a member of Sigur Rós – very similar in feel to Henryk Górecki)
Schola Cantorum Reykjavicensis & Hörður Áskelsson – Meditatio: Music For Mixed Choir (Icelandic choral music – very peaceful)
U Roy – Version Galore (U Roy’s versions together with the originals)
However, my Top 18 for this year are:
1. ABBA – Voyage
2. Various Artists (Coldcut/Mixmaster Morris mix) – @0
3. James Blake – Friends That Break Your Heart
5. Damon Albarn – The Nearer the Fountain, More Pure the Stream Flows
6. Bicep – Isles
7. serpentwithfeet – DEACON
8. Sufjan Stevens & Angela De Augustine – A Beginner’s Mind
9. Self Esteem – Prioritise Pleasure
10. Floating Points, Pharoah Sander and the LSO – Promises
11. Lana Del Ray – Blue Banisters
12. The Coral – Coral Island
13. Max Richter – Voices 2
14. A Winged Victory For The Sullen – Invisible Cities
15. Jon Hopkins – Music For Psychedelic Therapy
16. Dustin O’Halloran – Silfur
17. Peter Gregson – Patina
18. Nils Frahm – Graz
For some reason my Number 4 has disappeared. It should be:
4. Lana Del Ray – Chemtrails Over The Country Club
I substituted Chemtrails for your No1 – seemed Wise & Handsome.
If my voting rights might be reinstated, here’s my selection:
1. Lana del Rey – Chemtrails Over The Country Club
2. Lana del Rey – Blue Banisters
3. Olivia Rodrigo – Sour
4. Lorde – Solar Power
5. Taylor Swift – Red (Taylor’s Version)
6. Cassandra Jenkins – Phenomenal Nature
7. Little Simz – Might Be Introvert
8. Arlo Parks – Collapsed In Sunbeams
9. Matt Sweeney & Bonnie Prince Billy – Superwolves
10. Sam Fender – Seventeen Going Under
11. Ryan Adams – Big Colors
12. Ryan Adams – Wednesdays
13. Jason Isbell & 400 Unit – Georgia Blue
That’s like Amazeballs! We’re like brothers that never met: we’re like Hansel (me) and Gretel (you). We should totally meet up, I’ll ping you my pong.
That’s on the understanding that my voting rights might be reinstated. If, on the other hand, they will definitely be reinstated, my votes go to:
1. Robert Plant Alison Krauss – Raising The Roof
2. Public Service Broadcasting – The New One
3. I haven’t heard a third one. But I’ll go for Dustin O’Halloran.
Everybody Listen! Gary’s account has been hacked!
There are no “free holidays”:
Please, please don’t send money to “Gary, I Love You.com” and cast aside those thoughts of “Lying by the pool whilst Enrico applies yet another layer of coconut oil”. Dreams of pipe, dreams of pipe
It’s an interesting list. I’ve only got as far down as number 8, can I assume that the “rather agreeable young chanteuses” theme carries on all the way through it?
*googles Bonnie Prince Billy*
Oh.
I’m adding a number 4: Piers Faccini. The Guardian did an article called “Hidden gems 2021: great albums you may have missed” and this was the one that interested me most:
“An Anglo-Italian songwriter based in France, creator of six albums and a serial cross-genre collaborator, Piers Faccini has been justly compared to Nick Drake for his intricate fretboard skills and melodic vocals. He hits a high point on an album based on the biblical Fall but steeped in today’s eco crisis, and whose musical roots veer between north Africa, southern Italy and Spanish string quartet. “Watch paradise burn,” suggests All Aboard, a track recalling Noah’s ark and migration sea journeys. The mood is variously forlorn, ethereal and hopeful, the lyrics poetic. Entrancing; an album for the times.”
and I found I quite like bits of it. I don’t think it’ll get any other votes, so my inclusion is pointless, but then so is the universe and, who knows, someone else might like bits of it too and that would mean this whole Poll enterprise has not been the awful waste of time some people, no doubt, alledgedly think it is.
Dustin O’Halloran can remain at 3. I’ve still to hear the album, but I once met the chap.
So my final tally so far:
1. Robert Plant and Alison Krauss – Raising The Roof
2. Public Service Broadcasting – Bright Magic
3. Dustin O’Halloran – Silfur
4. Piers Faccini – Shapes of the Fall
There you go. For now.
You are the Spirit of The AfterWord
Thank you. And it’s in light of that surprising accolade that I’ve decided to vote for number 5. Floating Points, Pharoah Sanders, The London Symphony Orchestra – Promises, largely out of respect to the previous incumbent.
You’re pulling my plonker, aren’t you? I’ve told you a million times to cease and desist.
I refuse to include Floating Points because xxxx #### &&& ¥¥¥¥¥
Believe me, I would no sooner pull your plonker than curate your beetroot.
Fickle, oh so fickle
Big fan of Faccini.
Thanks to Spotify for randomly playing it for me.
While I now look forward to reading your choices more than anyone else’s, I will also prepare myself for disappointment just in case.
I think most of these have been listed by others, so I trust this list won’t extend Lodes’ enormous spreadsheet too much. I have also listed them separately below this, without the comments.
1. Allison Russell – Outside Child
This is a gorgeous sounding record. Attractive and immediate melodies and hooks; Russell’s wonderful, soulful voice, great arrangements using clarinet, pedal steel and backing vocals, amongst other things. But underneath that, there are lyrics baldly dealing autobiographically with sexual abuse and trauma. It’s a powerful mix. It’s moving, disturbing, and ultimately cautiously triumphant, and it is easily my album of the year. Listen to ‘Nightflyer’ or ‘Persephone’, and tell me you’re not hooked.
2. Rhiannon Giddens with Francesco Turrisi – They’re Calling Me Home
The ever reliable uber-talented Rhiannon Giddens delivers again with, I think, a much better album with Francesco Turrisi then their first together
3. Low – Hey What
I found the electronic squalling on their last album pretty unlistenable, but here it forms an intriguing contrast with Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker’s typically sweet and melodic harmonies – this is adventurous and thoughtful music making of the first order
4. St Vincent – Daddy’s Home
This is the first St Vincent album that has really landed with me – some great songs and all her usual clever pop sensibility, but with a heart.
5. Lord Huron – Long Lost
Lovely, easy American country influenced sounds (I am trying to avoid using the word ‘Americana’, but it that is what it is, it’s a very good example of it)
6. Wolf Alice – Blue Weekend
This is just a great indie pop record – big full sounds, nods back to the 70s 80s and 90s. A little reminiscent of last year’s album by Lanterns by the Lake, which I also loved.
7. Dom La Nena – Tempo
Brazilian cellist/singer comes up with a perfect summer record – gentle, almost whispered lyrics, simple arrangements, shades of samba and bossa nova. Nice. And I mean that in a good way.
8. Paul Weller – Fat Pop
Weller is ridiculously prolific these days and it can be hard to keep up – this feels less ambitious than some of his more recent records, but it has an immediacy and unpretentiousness that I find very appealing
9. Karen Matheson – Still Time
Capercaillie’s lead singer with a typically smooth and immaculately delivered set of songs, and that voice like honey – gorgeous stuff
10. Charles Lloyd and the Marvels – Tone Poem
Not sure yet if it is quite as good as ‘I Long to See You’, but still, very fine jazz playing from an immaculate ensemble, including the peerless Bill Frisell and Greg Leisz
11. LUMP – Animal
Mike Lindsay’s sounds and production give Laura Marling a very different palette than her normal backing and she takes full advantage with some fine songs
12. Steve Earle – J.T.
Earle’s tribute to his son, who was taken too soon. Its moving of course, but even without that context this is a terrific set of rambunctious performances
13. Lucy Dacus – Home Video
There is an army of American confessional female singer songwriters right now, and judging by this album, Dacus is one of the best of them
14. Justin Adams and Mauro Durante – Still Moving
Still getting to know this but I love the combination of Adams’ guitar and Durante’s violin; some great playing here
15. Afterlight – Afterlight
Thea Gilmore’s intensely personal post break-up album. The emotions are raw but the voice and the song writing are as impeccable as ever.
16. Buffalo Nichols – Buffalo Nichols
Great performances and songs from a new kid on the block – proving that the blues can still be as compelling, angry, relevant, and urgent as ever
17. Valerie June – The Moon and the Stars: Prescriptions for Dreamers
I am a sucker for June’s voice and whilst there is some average material here, the best of it (not least her duet with Carla Thomas on Call Me A Fool) is irresistible country soul.
18. Joan Armatrading – Consequences
Because it is from someone who has been there and done it many times before, and doesn’t really do anything new on this record –just does it very well – Joan Armatrading’s latest perhaps hasn’t had the attention it deserves. This isn’t up there with her very best early records but that’s a high bar – there are still some fine songs here; songs of love and affection, and that voice is in immaculate shape.
19. Karine Polwart and Dave Milligan – Still as Your Sleeping
Gorgeous vocals with some beautiful piano backing, and a fascinating selection of new and old songs
20. Tori Amos – Ocean to Ocean
I really don’t know Tori Amos’s music, so I cannot judge how this compares with her earlier commercially successful work. But I really like this – her ethereal, idiosyncratic voice over full backings which are almost prog at times is immensely listenable, and there are some fine songs here too.
And for ease of spreadsheet inputting, here’s the list without comments
1. Allison Russell – Outside Child
2. Rhiannon Giddens with Francesco Turrisi – They’re Calling Me Home
3. Low – Hey What
4. St Vincent – Daddy’s Home
5. Lord Huron – Long Lost
6. Wolf Alice – Blue Weekend
7. Dom La Nena – Tempo
8. Paul Weller – Fat Pop
9. Karen Matheson – Still Time
10. Charles Lloyd and the Marvels – Tone Poem
11. LUMP – Animal
12. Steve Earle – J.T.
13. Lucy Dacus – Home Video
14. Justin Adams and Mauro Durante – Still Moving
15. Afterlight – Afterlight
16. Buffalo Nichols – Buffalo Nichols
17. Valerie June – The Moon and the Stars: Prescriptions for Dreamers
18. Joan Armatrading – Consequences
19. Karine Polwart and Dave Milligan – Still as Your Sleeping
20. Tori Amos – Ocean to Ocean
Lovely commentary …
HARK! 🎄 🎅 🌟 IT`S THE HARKONNEN 20 FOR `21
1. STARRY EYED AND LAUGHING – BELLS OF LIGHTNING
2. ROSE CITY BAND – EARTH TRIP
3. NEIL YOUNG & CRAZY HORSE – BARN
4. MARTYN JOSEPH – 1960
5. LORD HURON – LONG LOST
6. ISRAEL NASH – TOPAZ
7. JAMES McMURTRY – THE HORSES AND THE HOUNDS
8. FELICE BROTHERS – FROM DREAMS TO DUST
9. JOSE GONZALEZ – ANOTHER VALLEY
10. ROBERT PLANT/ALISON KRAUSS – RAISE THE ROOF
11. HENRY PARKER – LAMMAS FAIR
12. RHIANNON GIDENS with FRANCESCO TURRISI – THEY`RE CALLING ME HOME
13. MDOU MOCTAR – AFRIQUE VICTIME
14. LOS LOBOS – NATIVE SONS
15. CURSE OF LONE – PEOPLE IN CARS
16. JASON ISBELL – GEORGIA BLUE
17. CHARLES LLOYD & THE MARVELS: TONE POEM
18. STEVE HACKETT – UNDER A MEDITERRANEAM SKY
19. BILLY BRAGG: THE MILLION THINGS THAT NEVER HAPPENED
20. WILLY MASON – ALREADY DEAD
Starry Eyed And Laughing was my certain No.1 album after the first listen, every other playback and there`ve been many, made the choice a certainty. Late comers to my list: Neil Young, an unexpectedly fine album from a man in the twilight of his life although some still expect miracles. Martyn Joseph, a guy who has been around ages but is new to me. This album was a revelation (to me) and I fear for my wallet because he has an extensive discography which I am certain to plunder. Someone upthread brought my attention to Billy Bragg`s new album and what a very good album it is. I did have his early albums bought at the time of release but they were abducted, I have sorted that out and I will be rediscovering the good man`s music once again.
Coming very close and on another day…..Otherish, Blackberry Smoke, Lyndsey Buckingham, Sturgill Simpson, Willie Nile, Alesjandro Escovedo/Don Antonio, Hayes Carll, Daniel Lanois, Ian McNabb, Steve Earl, Chrissie Hynde, Specials, David Crosby, The Coral, Fleet Foxes….
I’m liking this list (apart from it being Lanaless)
Good job you didn’t put Alejandro Escovedo in because it wasn’t this year unless you are talking the It as Liam version.
Alejandro Escobedo is with Don Antonio and is a 2021 Spanish language release.
The Martyn Joseph mid-90s album trio of Being There, Martyn Joseph and Full Colour Black & White is pretty much perfect.
FCB&W was self-recorded in his attic after he’d been dropped by Epic and is my fave.
I’ve ordered a 3CD set that contains Full Colour… and 2 more. How this guy passed me by for so long I’ll never know. So thanks to Mark Radcliffe and his Radio 2 Folk Show.
Then go and see him live. Puts the effort in and really connects with his audience.
Give me a chance Kitty, I’ve only just found out about him! 😎
His commercial peak was 1992’s radio hit, Dolphins Make Me Cry. So you could be forgiven for missing the last 30 years.
He is great live (although I’ve not seen him in years).
Quite a few from my own list featuring here Baron, and I sense we have similar tastes. I must confess to being entirely unfamiliar with Starry Eyed and Laughing, something which I will rectify along with sampling some of the others you have listed. Good stuff.
Thank Bones of the Shaking genre.
If you like the music of The Byrds you’ll like this album.
Duly ordered.
Have you played it yet @Boneshaker? If so what do you think?
It’s excellent, uncannily like The Byrds but that’s no bad thing at all. I’ve ordered their first album too. Thanks for the recommendation.
I’m certain you’ll enjoy the first album and the 2nd ain’t too bad either. That’s about it but there’s a Rockpalast CD/DVD live show that I can recommend.
Here’s my Top 20 list, minus the comments that were included in the dedicated thread…
1. Jim Ghedi – In the Furrows of Common Place
2. Gyan Riley – Silver Lining
3. Nathan Salsburg – Psalms
4. Cameron Knowler & Eli Winter – Anticipation
5. M.G. Boulter – Clifftown
6. Erkin Cavus & Reentko Dirks – Istanbul 1900
7. Chuck Johnson – The Cinder Grove
8. Fred Thomas – Three or One
9. Nat Birchall – Ancient Africa
10. Marisa Anderson & William Tyler – Lost Futures
11. Bill MacKay & Nathan Bowles – Keys
12. Yasmin Williams – Urban Driftwood
13. James Yorkston & the Second Hand Orchestra – The Wide, Wide River
14. Steve Gunn – Other You
15. Warren Hampshire – Language of the Birds
16. Gesualdo Six – Josquin’s Legacy
17. Gyan Riley – Shelter in Space
18. Floating Points, Pharoah Sanders & the London Symphony Ochestra – Promises
19. Samba Touré – Binga
20. John Zorn, Bill Frisell, John Medeski, Carol Emanuel and Kenny Wollesen – Gnosis: the Inner Light
Too late, mate. I’ve already battled with your reverse-order list.
It’s No17 so that’s 17 points. No hang on, it’s 3. Or is it 4? Counts backwards on fingertips. And is it Agnog Bacchanalia by Zltrew Covenant or the other way round? Too late, mate
Oh come on Lodey – cut me some slack. Sufjan Stevens released an album this year, and I DIDN’T vote for it. That’s gotta be worth a few plus-points in your book!
Your No7 is a belter
Grtz from Belgium ;0)
01 – Adrian Crowley – The Watchful Eye Of The Stars
02 – Courtney Barnett – Write a List of Things to Look Forward To
03 – Celeste – Not Your Muse
04 – V.A. – I‚ll Be Your Mirror: A Tribute to The Velvet Underground & Nico
05 – Bill Callahan & Bonnie Prince Billy – Blind Date Party
06 – Arlo Parks – Collapsed In Sunbeams Deluxe Digital Album
07 – Matt Berninger – Serpentine Prison
08 – Bruno Mars & Anderson .Paak – An Evening With Silk Sonic
09 – Melody Gardot – Sunset in the Blue
10 – This Is The Kit – Off On Off
Stay Safe!
Sunset in the Blue is a beautiful album. Up until the last track. However, wasn’t it released in 2020?
Tigger is, annoyingly, 100% correct
As much as I love This Is The Kit, this too was released in 2020
It seems Flap thinks it’s still 2020
Don’t we all?
And Serpentine Prison surely too: it was my number one last year. But…… a deluxe did come out this year, with 6 extra tracks. Which, in the same way as new editions of old records will have unreleased material, still makes em re-releases. And, while we beat around your bush, Blind Date Party is a collection of the singles Bill and Billy put out both last year and this.
Retro is, annoyingly, correct
I didn’t think Blind date party is out until January – I have it on order with Amazon and the is what they are telling me.
Crikey, this is like reading The Quietus’ list 😏
A little help here from the Guardian for those obscure gems with which to enhance your list. I am listening to the Rosali, and first impressions are its a belter – if I had heard it earlier it may well have been right up there in my Fab 20.
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/dec/18/hidden-gems-2021-great-albums-you-may-have-missed
Hi there, long time lurker first time poster here. I seem to have bought a few more newly released records this year than usual, these are the 2021 releases that I’ve spent the most time with:
1. Karine Polwart & Dave Milligan – Still As Your Sleeping
2. Mr Mibbler – Leave Your Thoughts Here
3. The Weather Station – Ignorance
4. Floating Points, Pharough Sanders & The LSO – Promises
5. Low – Hey What
6. Robert Plant & Alison Krauss – Raise the Roof
7. Kings of Convenience – Peace or Love
8. John Smith – The Fray
9. The Staves – Good Woman
10. Maria Anderson & William Tyler – Lost Futures
11. Katherine Priddy – The Eternal Rocks Beneath
12. Joachim Cooder – Over That Road I’m Bound
13. Donald Fagen – The Nightfly Live (does this qualify?)
@rob – welcome aboard. You are a newbie so I have corrected your list to include both Lana albums. Apart from that, well played!
Thank you sir. I’m afraid Lana has rather passed me by – where should one start to catch up?
Norman Fucking Rockwell was the Album of 2019 (not that the Ship of Fools who voted back then realised) – start there
1. Chuck Johnson The Cinder Grove
2. BLKJKS Abantu/Before Humans
3. David Long and Shane O’Neill Moll and Zeis
4. Lonely Guest Lonely Guest
5. Paul Weller Fat Pop
6. Ordnance Survey Field Work
7. Saint Etienne I’ve Been Trying to Tell You
8. Arlo Parks Collapsed in Sunbeams
9. Trouble Pilgrims Blood Glass and Gasoline
10. Spencer Cullum Spener Cullum’s Coin Collection
11. Dr Lonnie Smith Breathe
12. Luke Haines Setting the Dogs on the Post Punk Postman
13.Joan As Policewoman/Tony Allen The Solution is Restless
14. Little Simz Sometimes I might be Introvert
15. Goat Headsoup
16. Loscil Clara
17. Haliku Salut the hill the light the ghost
18. Greentea Peng Man Made
19. La Luz la luz
20.Alan Vega Mutator
Not an Abba fan, then?
Thank you, sir
Haven’t heard it yet, didn’t think much of the singles
After much consultation, and not listening to the Deafhaven album which may great, don’t want to forget about this so here are the schools on the doors:
1. Yasmin Williams – Urban Driftwood
2. Bicep – Isles
3. Chvrches -Screen Violence
4.Teenage Fanclub – Home
5. Nick Cave and Warren Ellis – Carnage
6. Sam Fender – Seventeen Going Under
7. Prince – Welcome 2 America
8 Arlo Parks – Collapsed in Sunbeams
9 DJ Seinfeld – Mirrors
10 Lana Del Rey – Blue Banisters
11 Lana Del Rey – Chemtrails over the Country Club
12 War on Drugs – I Don’t Live Here Anymore
13 Black Country, New Road – For the First Time
14 The Go! Team – Get Up Sequences Part One
15 Self Esteem – Prioritise Pleasure
16 Wolf Alice – The Beach
17 Low – Hey What
18 Belly – Bees
19 Madlib – Sound Ancestors
Only 19 I can recommend with hand on heart as thoroughly listened to. No Abba sorry. The Prince album is phenomenally good, it would be in my top 15 Prince albums, which makes it better than at least 27 others.
A pedant writes: Bees is a collection of 4AD era b(ee)-sides and tracks from promos, soundtracks, tribute albums, etc. All tracks previously released (if you’re the sort of nutter who collected Japanese radio promos, like wot I am/did).
That explains how it appeared with virtually no fanfare. So only 18 then from me lodey. Does mean the Madlib album gets an extra point which is good.
Plus Bees came out on at least three different labels with formats dribbling out one at a time in different countries – 4AD, Sire/Warners, Run Out Groove. It won a Run Out Groove poll in 2019, people pre-ordered and then covid struck pressing plants & distribution. ROG customers waited… and waited… it eventually came out first in Europe on CD, then RSD vinyl, before ROG customers eventually got theirs sveral months later. 4AD are supposed to be releasing it on black vinyl & CD worldwide (except in the US). I fear it might be kicked into the long grass now.
A very nice list, Mr Moles!
One small thing: the Teenage Fanclub album from this year is called “Endless Arcade” .
“Home” is one track off it.
Oh yes bugger sorry @lodestone
Sorry Lodes I missed this one completely:-
Rhiannon Giddens with Francesco Turrisi – They’re Calling me Home
I bought it at the time and played it a lot, but it’s missing from my database. If I could have it at #2 and move all the rest down, that would be lovely. If it’s too much of a faff then just put it at the bottom of my list. Thanks for all your work on this project
Nae probs
In that case I’d like to do exactly the same. Except I’ll put it at number 6. Number 5 still undecided.
You’re banned
it’s a superb record – still getting better every time I play it
Top Twenty:
1. The Notwist | Vertigo Days
2. Mastodon | Hushed And Grim
3. Public Service Broadcasting | Bright Magic
4. The Coral | Coral Island
5. Steven Wilson | The Future Bites
6. Micky Dolenz | Dolenz Sings Nesmith
7. Amorphous Androgynous feat. Peter Hammill | We Persuade Ourselves We Are Immortal
8. Alice Cooper | Detroit Story
9. Connie Smith | Cry Of The Heart
10. Mdou Moctar | Afrique Victime
11. Fovea Hex | The Salt Garden (Landscaped)
12. Hedvig Mollestad Trio | Ding Dong You’re Dead
13. The Besnard Lakes | Are The Last Of The Great Thunderstorm Warnings
14. Sinikka Langeland | Wolf Rune
15. Paul Weller | Fat Pop (Volume 1)
16. The Chills | Scatterbrain
17. The Reflection Club | Still Thick As A Brick
18. Lana Del Rey | Chemtrails Over The Country Club
19. Van Morrison | Latest Record Project Volume 1
20. Jean-Michel Jarre | Amazonia
…and you know that can’t be bad.
@fatima-xberg
Another vote for Hedvig Mollestad, yay!
But, didn’t “We persuade ourselves…” come out in 2020? I seem to remember voting for it last year…
The Androgynous album could well be from late 2020 – I listened to it a lot this year in a bundle with Pete Hammill’s covers album and his collaboration with Isildurs Bane, so it’s all one package to me…
Aha! What did you make of the covers album? I think I heard it in the wrong mood and didn’t enjoy it at all – I think I need to try again, in a better frame of mind…
I found »In Translation« a bit exhausting to listen to the whole way through. That’s why I put it together with the other two – if you mix them up everything seems a bit lighter (and psychedelic…), and those cover songs really shine.
It won’t win but I sense The Coral may be closest to the centre of any venn diagram from this vote. It seems to be popular across all tastes and selections…
yes, I think youre right. It nearly made my list, but to be honest I find it a little long and samey. A handful of absolutely belting songs though, and it’s great to see the Wirral’s finest still going strong and coming out with such a strong statement at this stage of their career.
Oooooh
That was supposed to be in reply to Fatima’s closing remark at the bottom of the list…
I was going to put Amorphous Androgynous in my list but it was released in 2020 I think – although the remixes was released this year.
Nice list though.
@fatima-xberg
Another vote for The Chills, yay!
I’d not heard any mention of The Notwist in a long long time.
The Notwist »Vertigo Days« album is ace – they even have Julia Molina on vocals!
1. Del Amitri: Fatal Mistakes
2. Karine Polwart & Dave Milligan: Still As Your Sleeping
3. Curse of Lono: People In Cars
4. Shooglenifty: Acid Croft No. 9
5. Arab Strap: As Days Get Dark
6. Teenage Fanclub: Endless Arcade
7. Old Blind Dogs: Knucklehead Circus
8. Tindersticks: Distractions
9. Robert Plant & Alison Krauss: Raise the Roof
10. Bells of Lightning: Starry Eyed and Laughing
11. Lana Del Rey: Chemtrails Over the Country Club
12. Margo Cilker: Pohorylle
13. Felice Brothers: From Dreams to Dust
14. Ray Cooper: Land of Heroes
15. Sam Fender: Seventeen Going Under
16. The Specials: Protest Songs 1924 – 2012
17. Danielle Lewis: Dreaming In Slow Motion
18. Hannah Peel: Fir Wave
19. Justin Sullivan: Surrounded
20. Stranglers: Dark Matters
Bubbling under, 21 – 30 – Granny’s Attic:The Brickfields, Fraser Fifield: Piobreachd/Pipe Music, Manran: Urar, Joan As Policewoman/Dave Okuma/Tony Allen: The Solution Is Restless, Ferocious Dog: The Hope, Devin Hoff: Voices From the Empty Moor, Whyte: Maim, Staran: Staran, I See Hawks in L.A.: On Our Way and Pino Palladino/Blake Mills: Notes With Attachments.
I didn’t love the Justin Sullivan album as much as I thought I might, but he was my first gig back from lockdown, and the songs worked really well live
I prefer it to a lot of the band stuff this century, to be honest. I was thinking of you as I put it in my list!
Just the 10…
1. Dry Cleaning: New Long Leg
2. The Coral: The Coral Island
3. Manic Street Preachers: Ultra Vivid Lament
4. Wolf Alice: Blue Weekend
5. Abba: Voyage
6. Jane Weaver: Flock
7. The Stranglers: Dark Matters
8. Nick Cave & Warren Ellis: Carnage
9. Public Service Broadcasting: Bright Magic
10. Del Amitri: Fatal Mistakes
My top 20:
I’m unclear whether live albums are included or not, so I’ve put the Decemberists at 19, for ease of removal.
1. Fergus McCreadie – Cairn
2. Public Service Broadcasting – Bright Magic
3. The Aliens – Doorway Amnesia
4. Daniel Herskedal – Harbour
5. Nat Birchall – Ancient Africa
6. Hania Rani – Music for Film and Theatre
7. Eyolf Dale – Being
8. David Boulter – Lover’s Walk
9. Admiral Fallow – The Idea of You
10. The Aliens – Back to Beyond
11. Graham Collier – British Conversations
12. They Might Be Giants – Book
13. Hania Rani & Dobrawa Czocher – Inner Symphonies
14. Floating Point, Pharaoh Sanders -Promises
15. Billy Bragg – The Million Things That Never Happened
16. John Grant – Boy from Michigan
17. Neil Young – Barn
18. Blackford Hill Transmissions – Volume One
19. Hannah Peel – Fir Wave
20. The Decemberists – Live Home Library vol. 1
19 or 20, pah.
I did a last minute check to see if Fir Wave had indeed been released this year – and was astonished to find that it was.
Thanks for the Fergus McCreadie recommendation, Lando.
I’ve now purchased “Cairn”, and it is indeed a little cracker.
Excellent – I’m really glad that you like it.
“Cairn, en trio avec le bassiste David Bowden et le batteur Stephen Henderson, est la suite très attendue des débuts de Fergus et malgré tout le battage que ce nouvel album suscite, il tient ses promesses. Cairn est un album inspiré par la tradition et le paysage de son Écosse natale.”
Michou took another sip of pastis. We sat socially distanced in front of the bar.
“Is it plinky- plonky jazz, then?” I enquired.
Another sip. “What eez plinky-plonky?”
“Like that concert you took me to in the summer at the reservoir. The one with floating pianos and naked women ringing bells. A miracle nobody drowned”
“Yes, Cairn is exactly like that”.
No, actually it isn’t, it is a delightful merge of jazz and Celtic folk. Much as is the record, Where Will the River Flow, by Matt Carmichael, who is a similarly youthful Scottish jazzman as is McCreadie. He plays tenor sax, and, McCreadie lovers, Fergus plays piano on it. Both this and Cairn hit the top of my to listen pile only yesterday and each are to be commended.
Lando, very grateful to you for alerting me to the 2 Aliens releases this year, which had completely passed me by. Just downloaded both from Bandcamp.
1. Derya Yıldırım & Grup Şimşek – DOST 1
2. Qantic & Nidi Gongora – Almas Conectadas
3. Davide Ambrogio – Evocazioni e Invocazioni
4. Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band – The Legendary 1979 No Nukes Concerts
5. Michael Hurley – Time of the Foxgloves
6. Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit – Georgia Blue
7. Big Thief – No Reason/Spud Infinity
8. Steve Earle – JT
9. Dion – Stomping Ground
10. Marianne Faithfull – Marianne Faithfull: The Montreux Years
Re: Derya Yıldırım
I like how Turkish has that letter that looks like an i without the dot over the top. Nice!
Transfer 4 to this thread please:
Ah oui
No 10 just been Canned
But, but, but… first time release for both, innit?
Rules were changed (can’t remember who by, most likely Dai) and I now have full power to do something or other, including random acts of spitefulness.
OK, I misunderstood therules I guess. I’ve moved them over.
Please excuse my ignorance: but can someone explain how to do the “previous thread in a quote box” as demonstrated by Dai above? Thanks in advance.
just cut and paste the address for the relevant thread into your post and it should work
Many thanks for that @Blue-Boy
Test.-
Success!! I should have asked before now.
Hurrah. There’ll be no stopping you now….
1. The Hold Steady – Open Door Policy
2. Floating Points, Pharoah Sanders/LSO – Promises
3. The Weather Station – Ignorance
4. Hayes Carll – You Get It All
5. The Wallflowers – Exit Wounds
6. Jason Isbell – Georgia Blue
7. The War on Drugs – I Don’t Live Here Anymore
8. Robert Plant and Alison Krauss – Raise The Roof
9. David Crosby – For Free
10. Hiss Golden Messenger – Quietly Blowing It
11. Mogwai – As The Love Continues
12.The Black Keys – Delta Kream
13. Nick Cave and Warren Ellis – Carnage
14. Manchester Orchestra – The Million Masks of God
15. Poppy Ackroyd – Pause
16. Del Amitri – Fatal Mistakes
17. James McMurtry – The Horses and the Hounds
18. Cassandra Jenkins – An Overview on Phenomenal Nature
19. Rhiannon Giddens/Francesco Turrisi – They’re Calling Me Home
20. Arooj Aftab – Vulture Prince
I see that two Afterworders have now voted for the Black Keys album “Delta Kream”. I’ve only got into it in the past two weeks, so that was too late for my own Top 45 chart, but I really like the record. Really LOUD, tight-as-a-drum cover versions of old Mississippi Hill Country blues numbers.
Made a start on this year’s sample playlist. Worth a shuffle if you’re feeling adventurous, worth a scroll down if – as it did for me – it makes you aware of two or three albums you would have been most interested to hear had you realised they were out..
Top work sir.
I feel a shuffle coming on whilst preparing food
Oh I say. Too much info, dude.
Starry Eyed & Laughing – Bells of Lightning
Sam Fender – Seventeen Going Under
Big Big Train – Common Ground
Frost* – Day and Age
Danny & The Champions if the World – Los Campeones En Vivo
David Crosby – For Free
John Mayer – Sob Rock
Danny George Wilson – Another Place
Del Amitri – Fatal Mistakes
Teenage Fanclub – Endless Arcade
Yes – The Quest
Foy Vance – Signs of Life
Paul Carrack – One on One
Gerry Rafferty – Rest In Blue
Joseph Williams – Denizen Tenant
Jack Savoretti – Europiana
Little Simz – Sometimes I might be extrovert
Public Service Broadcasting – Bright Magic
Gary Numan – Intruder
The Anchoress – The art of losing
Jah Wobble – Metal Box rebuilt in dub
Sons of Kemet – Black to the Future
DAF (Robert Gorl) – Nur Noch Einer
Toyah – Posh Pop
The Stranglers – Dark Matter
Nation of Language – A Way Forward
Crowded House – Dreamers are Waiting
King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard – Butterfly 3000
Yes – The Quest (even if only for a few of the tracks)
Tanzwut – Die Tanzwut kehrt zuruck
The Coral – Coral Island
Amyl & the Sniffers – Comfort to me
Gang of Four – the problem of leisure (if that counts)
Sleaford Mods – Spare Ribs
Plant & Krauss – Raise the roof
Steven Wilson – The Future Bites
But not necessarily in that order, and ask me tomorrow it will probably be different and would probably include Squid, Tuneyards or Wet Leg if I could only tell them all apart.
Robert Gorl did an album this year? Never knew that. Nice one.
Just Googled Mr Gorl. “A Maori hip-hop artist whose use of Abyssinian Nose Flutes has revolutionised.. (cont’d p94)
You should Google Tanzwut. Their Wikipedia entry has one of the greatest lines in Wikipedia… “Tanzwut are known for their heavy use of bagpipes, an unusual instrument for a metal band.”
A pibroch loud to play?
unusual, but not unprecedented – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-sUXMzkh-jI
1. Hamish Hawk – Heavy Elevator
2. Pokey Lafarge – In the Blossom of Their Shade
3.Robert Plant & Alison Kraus – Raise the Roof
4. James McMurtry – The Horses and the Hounds
I love going through all these entries trying find one that someone has made up. Pokey Lafarge, I thought, that’s a shoe-in, but no. Out of touch, Moi?
Pokey Lafarge is a NZ hip-hop artist whose playful combination of cheddar cheese and Nairns Rough Oatcakes in his seminal album “Who Stole My Crackers?” changed the Dunedin night scene forever.
That`s bollocks and you know it Loadey. Pokey is a famous son of Bury, Lancashire and he revolutionised the Black Pudding by mixung a Milky Way to the pig`s blood, pork fat, oatmeal, pepper and salt, onion optional. The result of which the pudding is now eaten as a pudding course served with Devon Custard.
Lao Tzu runs a cafe on the ley node at the Thin Place that connects Bury and Clonakilty. His black and white pudding toastie can only be ordered if you don’t order it. It tastes the way of Heaven.
‘I didn’t expect
to go this way quiet
eyes closed wide
awake saying
goodbye
to the world
right here
I cross through’
gauze into
the one nearby
Remixed on 12″ picture disc as “Who Stole My Undercrackers?”
Lodey in late charge for post of the year!
1. Martha Marlow – Medicine Man. I love this record, it should be awarded more than 20 of my points. I might vote for it to be all of my top 10, not that it will make any difference.
2. A Certain Ratio – Loco Remezclada
3. The Specials – Protest Songs 1924-2012
4. Field Music – Flat White Moon
5. Model Village – World of Carp
6. The Anchoress – The Art of Losing
7. Lonelady – Former Things
8. Gemma Cullingford – Let Me Speak
9. Hamish Hawk – Heavy Elevtaor
10. WH Lung – Vanities
11. Abba – Voyage
12. Molly Lewis – The Forgotten Edge
13. Kansas Smitty’s – Plunderphonia
14. M G Boulter – Clifftown
15. Del Amitri – Fatal Mistakes
16. The Stranglers – Dark Matters
17. Karine Polwart & Dave Milligan: Still As Your Sleeping
18. Ibibio Sound Machine – Electricity (possiblydisqualified as it is a single?).
To be honest, I’m surprised I have been able to list 18. My 2021 To Be Heard pile is massive.
I missed one:
18. Jane Weaver – Flock.
Please bump Ibibio Sound Machine down to 19, for what it’s worth.
Your wish is my command
Thank you for your service, Sir Lodestone.
1 Katherine Priddy – The Eternal Rocks Beneath
2 Robert Plant and Alison Krauss – Raise The Roof
3 Taylor Swift – Fearless
4 Taylor Swift – Red
5 Iron Maiden – Senjutsu
6 Ted Barnes – Seventeen Postcards
7 ABBA – Voyage
8 Lorde – Solar Power
9 OK Aurora – Only In Autumn
10 Lilly Hiatt – Lately
11 St Vincent – Daddy’s Home
12 Josienne Clarke – A Small Unknowable Thing
13 Roxanne De Bastion – You And Me We Are The Same
14 The Wallflowers – Exit Wounds
15 Prince – Welcome 2 America
16 Del Amitri – Fatal Mistakes
17 Billy Bragg – The Million Things That Never Happened
18 Crowded House – Dreamers Are Waiting
19 Afterlight – Afterlight
20 Brian Setzer – Gotta Have The Rumble
God Bless, Bob.
Whoever is collating this poll really needs to stop eating goose and drinking a Very Fine Speyside Malt and, instead, start punching in some numbers.
He would need the discipline of Dai and the body of Gary… if such a concept existed in a galaxy far, far away
Good to see RDB getting a mention. I am partial to her music.
Lana Del Rey – Chemtrails Over The Country Club
St Vincent – Daddy’s Home
Steven Wilson – Future Bites
Lana Del Rey – Blue Bannisters
King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard – LW
It might not seem like much but it’s actually a great deal.
Apart from Numbers 2, 3 and 5 that is definitively the best list list so far!
I’ve sent you my private contact details… maybe a coffee sometime?
I have been very restrained in actual purchases this year, using Spotify to listen to most of these.
Only bought 5 CDs until I started making this list. Then realised that I missed having physical product so ordered 5 more of them & put most of the others on my wish list to be picked up later.
If I don’t have CDs on my shelf I will forget.
CDs sound better & I give them more concentration than streaming. So here goes:
1 Allison Russell – Outside Child
2 Curtis Harding – If Words Were Flowers
3 Durand Jones & The Indications – Private Space
4 Leon Bridges – Gold-diggers Sound
5 Hayes Carll – You Get It All
6 Buffalo Nichols – Buffalo Nichols
7 Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real – A Few Stars Apart
8 Natalie Hemby – Pins & Needles
9 Brandi Carlile – In These Silent Days
10 Gerry Rafferty – Rest In Blue
11 Tony Joe White – Smoke From The Chimney
12 Tony Lindsay – Soul Soldier
13 Jackson Browne – Downhill From Everywhere
14 Kacey Musgraves – Star Crossed
15 Hiss Golden Messenger – Quietly Blowing It
16 Nathaniel Ratliff & The Nightsweats – The Future
17 Rodney Crowell – Triage
18 Sturgill Simpson – The Ballad of Dood & Juanita
19 The Wallflowers – Exit Wounds
20 Son Volt – Electro Melodier
12 of these are artists that are new to me. I find it quite exciting that I am still discovering new stuff & not stuck in an oldies rut.
I could write this out again & the order would be different each time but I am happy with it for now.
Yours is exactly the sort of list that I’ll follow up on. I’m intrigued to know why the Esther Rose album didn’t make your list. Was it that you haven’t heard it or don’t like it?
Not heard of her. Something new to check out (there’s just so much out there). Thanks.
Another first place for Allison Russell – excellent!
She deserves it. I was blown away by it when I heard her interview on Ricky Ross’s Another Country radio programme. A heartbreaking early life story.
Here’s her story:
https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-country/allison-russell-interview-1143603/
That’s a name I keep seeing on the Spotify Americana playlist and keep forgetting to investigate. Thanks for the reminder while I’m sitting at a keyboard.
I have 9 of those albums on your list @androo1963 and there are 6 artists I`ve not heard of who I will probably investigate.
Good luck. Report back (good or bad).
I’ve ordered your #1&2 albums. I’ll let you know what I think but the samples were very good.
I`ve been playing the Curtis Harding album this morning, I got a bit concerned when In heard out of tune jazzy stuff that lots of folk round here like but I don`t and then I thought he was gonna start hippity hopping and that was just the first track! None of my concerns were warrented, it`s a fine album.
Allison Russell`s album arrives Wednesday after the Dodgers botched the initial delivery up.
Ha ha. I had the same concerns on 1st listen.
No hippety hop on Allison’s so your safe.
Hoping Everybody had a good Christmas. Thanks again LOW for doing the needful.
I’ve left out some December purchases including Damon Albarn, War On Drugs, John Francis Flynn, Lana Del Rey and Jason Isbell – I’m not familiar enough with them yet but I’m sure they would have been contenders for high placings given more time.
More Irish acts than usual this year – maybe I just haven’t been paying attention before but this has been a cracking year for locally produced quality music.
There are acts in here that would not have appeared were it not for recommendations by Afterworders over the past year and previous few years – Rhiannon Giddens, Big Big Train, Afterlight, PSB to name a few. Thanks to everybody for continuing to flag good music even if it’s costing me a small fortune.
Wishing everybody a Happy New Year…
1. Villagers – Fever Dreams
2. Mick Flannery & Susan O’Neill – In The Game
3. Jackson Browne – Downhill From Everywhere
4. Big Big Train – Common Ground
5. Jack O’Rourke – Wild Place
6. Afterlight – Afterlight
7. Rhiannon Giddens & Francesco Turrisi – They’re Calling Me Home
8. Public Service Broadcasting – Bright Magic
9. Elbow – Flying Dream 1
10. Robert Plant & Alison Krauss – Raise The Roof
11. Wolf Alice – Blue Weekend
12. David Crosby – For Free
13. Nick Cave & Warren Ellis – Carnage
14. Orla Gartland – Woman On The Internet
15. John Grant – Boy From Michigan
16. Lucy Dacus – Home Video
17. Cathal Coughlan – Songs Of Co-Aklan
18. Lindsey Buckingham – Lindsey Buckingham
19. Steve Earle And The Dukes – J.T.
20. Crowded House – Dreamers Are Waiting
Honourable mentions for Joe Pug, Julien Baker and The Hold Steady
Good to see Jack O’Rourke get a shout. Came too late to get in my 20 but Sea Swimming could be my track of the year.
Same here, Retro!
Bless and double bless .
https://youtube.com/shorts/zzgYTYLrs6U?feature=share
👍
Quite a few NZ/Aussie releases here
1. Martha Marlow – Medicine Man
2. Alexandre Desplat – The French Dispatch (original soundtrack)
3. Phil Judd – Planet Sublime
4. Rejoicer – Voodoo At Home
5. Nick Garbett and Mike Majkowski – The Glider
6. Hiatus Kaiyote – Mood Valiant
7. John Scurry’s Reverse Swing – Post Matineé
8. Robert Plant and Alison Krauss – Raise the Roof
9. Floating Points & Pharaoh Sanders – Promises
10. Prince – Welcome 2 America
11. Neil Young – Barn
12. Genesis Owusu – Smiling With No Teeth
13. Dave Brewer – Long Road Back Home
14. Reb Fountain – Iris
15. Jockstrap – Beavercore
16. Tex Perkins and The Fat Rubber Band
17. Tara Clerkin Trio – In Spring
18. Vazesh – The Sacred Key
19. Neil Cowley – Hall Of Mirrors
20. Abdullah Ibrahim – Solotude
Just watched The French Dispatch – brilliant movie and excellent soundtrack!
These are the ones I’ve listened to in order of bestitude. I am sure I have missed some absolute gems but as someone wrote up there: there’s just so much stuff out there. When (Tess Daly voice) the results are in, I shall use it as a handy jumping off point for my homework.
Cheers, Lodes
Floating Points & Pharoah Sanders – LSO – Promises
Self Esteem – Prioritise Pleasure
Little Simz – Sometimes I Might Be Introvert
Lana Del Rey – Chemtrails Over The Country Club
Bruno Mars & Anderson .Paak – An Evening With Silk Sonic
Aimee Mann – Queens Of The Summer Hotel
Lana Del Rey – Blue Banisters
Olivia Rodrigo – Sour
Billie Eilish – Happier Than Ever
Bicep – Isles
Lorde – Solar Power
Manchester Orchestra – The Million Masks Of God
Jane Weaver – Flock
Wolf Alice – Blue Weekend
ABBA – Voyage
The Coral – Coral Island
Lawrence – Hotel TV
Cheers to you. (Sure you don’t want to move your No1 down 19 places or so? It can’t, can it?)
Get yourself dinner’d and outside of some nice Côte du Rhone, tuck your blankie round your legs, settle back and let it percolate into your mind. You will later wake with a start and realise how Wrong you’ve been.
1. The Stranglers – Dark Matters
2. Paul Weller – Fat Pop (Volume 1)
3. Mogwai – As The Love Continues
4. Public Service Broadcasting – Bright Magic
5. Caravan – It’s None Of Your Business
6. Afterlight (Thea Gilmore) – Afterlight
7. Neil Young – Barn
8. Martyn Joseph – 1960
9. Robert Plant & Alison Krauss – Raise The Roof
10. Le Ren – Leftovers
11. Jarvis Cocker – Chansons d’Ennui Tip-Top
12. Manic Street Preachers – The Ultra Vivid Lament
13. Billy Bragg – The Million Things That Never Happened
14. Tori Amos – Ocean To Ocean
15. Villagers – Fever Dreams
16. Lord Huron – Long Lost
17. Indigo Sparke – echo
18. Josienne Clarke – A Small Unknowable Thing
19. LUMP – Animal
20. John Grant – Boy From Michigan
Thanks for collating, as always.
Quite a few just on 1st on 2nd listens.
I come up with a list, look at what others have done and think ‘who have I missed?’ So, thank you Robert for listing Josienne Clarke, and those encouraging a listen to Barn.
Sorry October Drift it’s good but it’s no longer Top 20 good: same for you Mr Lakeman. And it’s great to see the Martyn Joseph recognition in the thread.
Here are the results from the Nottinghamshire jury:
1 Matt Berry – The Blue Elephant
2 Richard Dawson & Circle – Henki
3 Dry Cleaning – New Long Leg
4 The Coral – Coral Island
5 Sleaford Mods – Spare Ribs
6 Luke Haines – Setting the Dogs On The Post Punk Postman
7 Jane Weaver – Flock
8 Teenage Fanclub – Endless Arcade
9 Wolf Alice – Blue Weekend
10 Dean Wareham – I Have Nothing to Say To The Mayor of LA
11 Parquet Courts – Sympathy for Life
12 Nation of Language – A Way Forward
13 Snapped Ankles – Forest Of Your Pleasure
14 Viagra Boys – Welfare Jazz
15 Saint Etienne – I’ve Been Trying To Tell You
16 Jake Bugg – Saturday Night Sunday Morning
17 Black Country New Road – For The First Time
Can’t stretch to twenty this year.
Thanks Mr Lodes for your hard work.
Happy new year to all.
Ah – Viagra Boys ended up only just outside my Top 20; if it wasn’t for those instrumental and spoken word interludes it probably would have been up there – I just find those sort of things annoying. But the rest is very good.
Too bad about the death of the guitarist Benjamin Vallé this year…RIP. But I’ve seen tickets online for gigs in 2022, so at least the band seems to go on.
Yeah the songs are good but the bits in between stop it being higher on my list too. Glad to hear they are continuing though.
Listen up, you lot!
We’re (rather nervously) off to the Costa Brava to see in the New Year so keeping the poll up to date may prove to be beyond me for the coming week.
Despite that, all of you yet to register – GET A BLOODY MOVE ON!!
It is very, very tight at the top of the table and, honestly, every vote counts.
One more to add to my list from earlier in the month –
“Music for quiet moments” by Robert Fripp
I’d only just got it when my original list went in and it is lovely lovely reflective music which has been a constant companion over Christmas.
Obviously it won’t get anywhere near the top 100 but it is a wonderful album
This was in my top 3 reissues in the other vote…mostly previously released between 2004 and 2009, and all available by streaming since May 2020.
I finally get five minutes spare to work this out.
1. Sleaford Mods- Spare Ribs
2. Mirry- Mirry
3. Modest Mouse- The Golden Casket
4. Goat Girl- On all fours
5. Dry Cleaning- New Long Leg
6. Mogwai- As the love continues
7. Parquet Courts- Sympathy for Life
8. Arab Strap- As days get dark
9. St. Vincent- Daddy’s Home
10. Field Music- Flat White Moon
11. Gruff Rhys- Seeking New Gods
12. Anna Leone- I’ve felt all these things
13. Novelty Island- How are you coping with this century?
I have not had enough listens to IDLES, Damon Albarn or Courtney Barnett’s new albums, but nothing hooked me in on the first two listens to want to find time to listen a bit more. Was a bit disappointed with the Arlo Parks album, with the Squid album and the Black Country New Road album I feel like I SHOULD like them, but I can’t quite get into them, as it were. Meanwhile I tried the Lana Del Ray albums (OK, but nowhere near as good as NFR!), Self Esteem album (nice for a couple of listens) and the My Morning Jacket album, but none of them moved me. And so we get a top 13.
14. Sault- Nine
I know it’s a bit last minute, but I just remembered how much I enjoyed this album in the summer before it disappeared from my Spotify playlist.
The best:
Lady Blackbird – Black Acid Soul
Fergus McCreadie – Cairn
Baylor Project – Generations
Georgia Mancio/Alan Broadbent – Quiet is the Star
Joe Alterman – The Upside of Down
Kenny Garrett – Sounds from the Ancestors
Igor Levit – On DSCH
Patricia Brennan – Maquishti
Bill Charlap – Street of Dreams
The Shindellas – Hits that Stick Like Grits
Deborah Bond – Compass: 1
Daniele Di Bonaventura/Giovanni Guidi – Reminiscenze
Abdullah Ibrahim – Solotude
Toumani Diabate/LSO – Korolen
Johnathan Blake – Homeward Bound
Cha Wa – My People
Dara Tucker – Dreams of Waking
Dustin O’Halloran – Silfur
Ledisi/Metropole Orhestra – Sings Nina
Thiago França and A Espetacular Charanga do França – The Importance of Being Espectacular
The rest:
Denise Donatelli – Whistling in the Dark
Jeremy Pelt – Griot
Acantha Lang – Sugar Woman
Colin Stetson- Mayday (Soundtrack)
Floating Points/Pharoah Sanders – Promises
Marcin Wasilewski Trio – En Attendant
Vijay Iyer – Uneasy
David Linx – Be My Guest
John Pizarelli – Better Days Ahead
Matthias Eick – When We Leave
Jazmine Sullivan – Heaux Tales
Pat Metheny – Side Eye NYC
Joe Lovano/Marilyn Crispell/Carmen Castaldi – Garden of Expression
Nala Sinephro – Space 1.8
Secret Night Gang – S/T
Valerie June – The Moon and Stars
Anna Lapwood – Images
Paul Edis – The Still Point of the Turning World
Shai Maestro – Human
Jonny Greenwood – Spencer and The Power of the Dog soundtracks
A beautiful list of albums, Morrison.
I’ve listened more to Lady Blackbird and it is absolute class. Igor Levit may well be the finest musician alive and Jonny Greenwood’s soundtracks are simply wondrous.
Igor Levit – that’s a big claim, @Tiggerlion – is he better than Tatiana Nikolayeva in op. 87? I appreciate she’s no longer alive, but in that repertoire…
I was quite specific about him being alive. Otherwise, you open up a whole other can of worms 😉
Well, that’s just nit-picking…
Many thanks @tiggerlion – we watched “The Power of the Dog” this week and Greenwood’s soundtrack works wonderfully well – once you get over Benedict Cumberbatch as the grizzled cowboy main character. Will keep an eye an out for “Spencer” if only to see how his skronking jazz and string-sawing works alongside a story about Princess Diana’s marriage break-up.
Both are very good standalone listens.
Yes, nice to see the Toumani Diabaté/LSO album in your chart, Morrison. I really like it, too, but I only acquired it a week ago, so it was a bit too late for my chart.
didn’t know this existed until now, many thanks
Because I’ve not really been listening to much new music this year (see my “How’s 2021 been post) I am just going to throw my vingt points behind Voyage by Abba, It may not have been the best album released during the year but it gave me a lot of pleasure and the reality of them making new music together after 40 years and it being more than half-decent too I find very moving. There was one stellar track from it “I Still Have Faith in You”. Listening to the emotive words and rousing melody and singing, whilst watching the video montage of all the clips of them back in the day, always brings tears to my eyes (in a good way.)
I’m trying hard to think of a reason to disbar your 20 points but bugger ..
Only a day and a half to go and still no votes from the hip hop jury. Selfishly narked as it’s one of the lists I look to for recommendations, unselfishly a wee bit concerned that all’s okay in the world of Wad..
Likewise – I also always like to see @Paul-Wad s list so hope he’s still working on it
Am I too late to vote for Clint Eastwood’s ‘Hacksaw Ridge’? I must say I wasn’t that enamoured of it first time round, but I watched it again last night and thoroughly enjoyed it.
No498 with a bullet
1. Public Service Broadcasting: Bright Music
2. Lana del Rey: Chemtrails Over The Country Club
3. Lana del Rey: Blue Bannisters
4. Abba: Voyage
5. Nick Cave/Warren Ellis: Carnage
6. Robert Plant/Alison Krauss: Raise The Roof
7. Pat Metheny: Road To The Sun
8. Sean Shibe: Camino
9. Igor Levitt: On DSCH
10. Sinfonia of London/John Wilson: English Music For Strings
11. Daniel Trifonov: Bach: The Art Of Life
12. Charles Lloyd & The Marvels: Tone Poem
The top 3 are set in stone, 4 – 14 are constantly shifting amongst themselves as are 15 to 20.. as of 17.21 on the 30th December this is is how 2020 newbies stand.
1 CLARK – PLAYGROUND IN A LAKE
2 JAMES McMURTY – THE HORSES AND THE HOUNDS
3 YANN TIERSEN – KERBER
4 ALICE COOPER – DETROIT STORIES
5 JOHN DEHNER & THE ENTHUSIASTS – NO SECRETS
6 HOUEIDA HEDFI – FLEVUES DE I’AME
7 SHIRE T – TOMMROWS PEOPLE
8 DRY CLEANING – NEW LONG LEG
9 PETER HAMMILL – IN TRANSLATION
10 GRANDADDY – THE SOPHWARE SLUMP …ON A WOODEN PIANO
11 BLACK COUNTRY NEW ROADS – FOR THE FIRST TIME
12 BILLY BRAGG – THE MILLION THINGS THAT NEVER HAPPENED
13 SQUID – BRIGHT GREEN FIELD
14 LOTIC – WATER
15 DAVE – WE ARE ALL ALONE IN THIS TOGETHER
16 R J THOMPSON – LIFELINE
17 THE GO! TEAM – GET UP SEQUENCES PART ONE.
18 ARMCHAIR LOYAL – ALL YOU NEED IS UNDLOVU
19 IDLES – CRAWLER
20 GNOD – LA MORT DU SENS
I’ve just not listened to enough “new” this year, so a very short list.
1. Cathal Coughlan – Song of Co-Aklan
2. Paul Weller – Fat Pop
3. The Wedding Present – Stripped back and locked down
4. St. Vincent – Daddy’s home
5. Robert Plant and Alison Krauss – Raise the Roof
(my itunes says Evermore, but I know it was 2020 really).
Thats it. I really should use Spotify more.
1. The Coral – Coral Island
2. Lord Huron – Long Lost
3. Robert Plant & Alison Kraus – Raise the Roof
4. Israel Nash – Topaz
5. Villagers – Fever Dream
6. John Grant – Boy from Michigan
7. Sufjan Stevens and Angelo de Augustine – A Beginner’s Mind
8. Damon Albarn – The Nearer The Fountain, More Pure The Stream Flows
9. LUMP – Animal
10. Lindsay Buckingham – Lindsay Buckingham
11. The Weather Station – Ignorance
12. Dry Cleaning – New Long Leg
13. Tori Amos – Ocean to Ocean
14. Floating Points, Pharoah Sanders, The London Symphony Orchestra – Promises
15. Margo Cilker – Pohorylle
16. Low – Hey What
17. Neil Young/Crazy Horse – Barn
18 Pino Palladio and Blake Mills – Notes With Attachment
19. Justin Adams & Mauro Durante – Still moving
20. Nick Cave and Warren Ellis – Carnage
Eleventh hour as usual, but here’s my list …
1. Steven Wilson – The Future Bites
2. Martyn Joseph – 1960
3. Jon Boden – Last Mile Home
4. Laura Mvula – Pink Noise
5. Abba – Voyage
6. John Grant – Boy From Michigan
7. Lorde – Solar Power
8. Public Service Broadcasting – Bright Magic
9. Manic Street Preachers – The Ultra Vivid Lament
10. Robert Plant & Alison Krauss – Raise The Roof
11. L.U.M.P. – Animal
12. Hans Zimmer – No Time To Die Soundtrack
13. Yes – The Quest
14. Jean Michel Jarre – Amazonia
15. Vangelis – Juno To Jupiter
Finally someone else voting for the Laura Mvula album! The AW:ers are missing out if they don’t check this album out…
That was my summer album this year, lots of warm evenings watering the garden and listening to Laura Mvula on headphones
In Europe only 6 hours left till the polls close! The excitement rises. Without giving anything away, if one person still to vote gave one album 20 points and another nil points then the coveted Number 1 spot could still change hands.
In anticipation of the 5 hampers due to be awarded to Sir Lode of Stone, should we be worried about delays in the global supply chain of Corsair Tinned Chicken?
Worried too. By the time it reaches him it might be within 60 years of its use-by date.
Here are my 20
1. JAMES MCMURTRY-The Horse And The Hounds
2. BRANDI CARLILE-In These Silent Days
3. TAYLOR SWIFT-Fearless (Taylor’s Version)
4. LOS LOBOS-Native Sons
5. JACKSON BROWNE-Downhill From Everywhere
6. ALLISON RUSSELL-Outside Child
7. JOHN HIATT with THE JERRY DOUGLAS BAND-Leftover Feelings
8. CASSANDRA JENKINS-An Overview On Phenomenal Nature
9. FLOATING POINTS-Promises with Pharaoh Sanders
10. ROBERT PLANT & ALISON KRAUSS-Raise The Roof
11. ARLO PARKS-Collapsed In Sunbeams
12. THE WEATHER STATION-Ignorance
13. VALERIE JUNE-THE MOON & STARS: PRESCRIPTION FOR DREAMERS
14. VAN MORRISON-Latest Record Project Volume 1
15. RHIANNON GIDDENS-They’re Calling Me Home (with Francesco Turrisi)
16. ADIA VICTORIA-A Southern Gothic
17. JASON ISBELL AND THE 400 UNIT-Georgia Blue
18. HAYES CARLL-You Get It All
19. THE WAR ON DRUGS-I Don’t Live Here Anymore
20. AIMEE MANN-Queens Of The Summer Hotel
I have 10 of those albums, 5 of which made my 20.
I have Valerie June’s first 2 albums but was disappointed with her new album. A bit too polished for me.
Loads of those on my list and long list as well; ditto with Red Lemon’s list above.
I really must give this James McMurtry record a listen to , mustn’t I? Never heard him before but lots of people here rating him.
Van! That’s 2 votes at least
I don’t think 2021 has been a particularly great year for new music. There’s lots of good albums, some very good albums, but my favourites of this year don’t match up to my favourites of previous years. Although I have to admit that I haven’t given as much time as I usually do to explore new stuff. A variety of reasons – moved house (300+ boxes!!) and then been having loads of work done on the new house, going through the divorce, spending way too much time expanding my jazz collection and I’m 9-10 months behind reading all my Uncut, Mojo and Classic Pop magazines, so lots of stuff will have passed me by.
That said, as usual my list self-indulgently goes some way beyond the 20 for the poll. I use everybody else’s list to explore what I have missed, so in case anyone does the same with mine I have cut it off at the point at which the quality starts to dip, rather than 20. There’s always quite a few other people’s lists that I wish hadn’t stopped at 20 too! I’ve waited to stick it near the end though, to save you having to scroll for ages every time you open the thread!
Some things of note: for the third year running my favourite rap album is British, and for the second year running, it’s produced by Illinformed for the excellent High Focus label; Gary Numan has released another very good album, but he’s broken his run of half a dozen albums, where each one is better than the previous one; remove the rubbish tracks from Van Morrison’s latest to make a single album and it would be his best album in ages; yes, Olivia Rodrigo has stolen styles, riffs and tunes, but it all makes for a great pop record; I’m not comfortable with including Taylor Swift’s re-recorded albums so I have left them out, but if I was they would be very high and Red would probably be top; it was fab to finally hear Stephen Duffy’s demos with the Hawks; and my favourite track of the year, by some way, is Sigrid’s Mirror, I’ve watched her live performance of it for Later With Jools Holland at least 50 times, cos it’s just brill.
1 Arlo Parks – Collapsed in Sunbeams
2 Wish Master x Illinformed – Cold Harbour Tales
3 Little Simz – Sometimes I Might be Introvert
4 Lana Del Rey – Chemtrails Over the Country Club
5 Gowe – Jazznight
6 Gary Numan – Intruder
7 Swindle – The New World
8 Billie Marten – Flora Fauna
9 Damien Jurado – The Monster Who Hated Philadelphia
10 Krum – Black Lung
11 Mogwai – As the Love Continues
12 Olivia Rodrigo – SOUR
13 The Lucid Dream – The Deep End
14 Unglued – Interplanetary Radio
15 James Blake – Friends That Break Your Heart
16 Awon & Phoniks – Nothing Less
17 Bicep – Isles
18 Gary Louris – Jump For Joy
19 St. Vincent – Daddy’s Home
20 Lana Del Rey – Blue Bannisters
21 The Coral – Coral Island
22 Abstract Mindstate – Dreams Still Inspire
23 A Winged Victory For the Sullen – Invisible Cities/Le Città Invisibili
24 Cassandra Jenkins – An Overview On Phenomenal Nature
25 Om Unit – Retrieval
26 Skyzoo – All the Brilliant Things
27 Tony Allen – There is No End
28 Aimee Mann – Queens of the Summer Hotel
29 Greentea Peng – MAN MADE
30 Joan as Police Woman, Tony Allen & Dave Okumu – The Solution is Restless
31 Lorde – Solar Power
32 Verb T & Illinformed – Stranded in Foggy Times
33 The Weather Station – Ignorance
34 Ryan Adams – Big Colours
35 Passalacqua – Passalacqua
36 Om Unit – Acid Dub Studies
37 Pitch 92 – Intervals
38 Ryley Walker – Course in Fable
39 Krum – Dart
40 Floating Points, Pharoah Sanders & the LSO – Promises
41 Ian McNabb – Utopian
42 slowthai – TYRON
43 Van Morrison – Latest Record Project Volume 1
44 McKinley Dixon – For My Mama and Anyone Who Look Like Her
45 Nick Cave & Warren Ellis – Carnage
46 The Hawks – Obviously Five Believers
47 The Bug – Fire
48 Sankofa – Floodgates
49 Dry Cleaning – New Long Leg
50 Magna Carda – To the Good People
A very eclectic list Paul, nice to see The Coral and Ian McNabb in your list, 2 artists from my favourite city but not football team I hasten to add.
1 / Lana Del Ray – Chemtrails Over The Country Club
2 / Neil Young Crazy Horse – Barn
3 / Self Esteem – Prioritise Pleasure
4 / Bobby Gillespie & Jenny Beth – Utopian Ashes
5 / Stephen Wilson – The Future Bites
6 / Kings Of Convenience – Peace Or Love
7 / David Duchovny – Gestureland
8 / Teenage Fanclub – Endless Arcade
9 / The Howl & The Hum – The Unheard Studio Collection
10 / Tom Jones – Surrounded By Time
11 / Nation Of Language – A Way Forward
12 / Yola – Stand For Myself
13 / Neil Young Crazy Horse – Way Down In The Rust Bucket
14 / Paul Weller – Fat Pop
15 / Crowder House – Dreamers Are Waiting
16 / The Weather Station – Ignorance
17 / Maximo Park – Nature Always Wins
18 / Killers – Pressure Machine
19 / Billy Bragg – The Million Things That Never Happened
20 / Manic Street Preachers – The Ultra Vivid Lament
A good year.
Damn missed the Maximo Park from mine, a real return to form and one I shelled out for.
1. Matt Sweeney & Bonnie Prince Billy – Superwolves
2. Ryley Walker – Course in Fable
3. David Lowery – Leaving Key Member Clause
4. Mdou Moctar – Afrique Victime
5. My Morning Jacket – My Morning Jacket
6. Godspeed You! Black Emperor – G_d’s Pee AT STATES END
7. Richard Dawson & Circle – Henki
8. Wardrune – Kvitravn
9. Isildur’s Bane & Peter Hammill – In Disequilibrium
10. Natacha Atlas – The Inner & the Outer
11. Neil Young & Crazy Horse – Barn
12. Thalia Zedek Band – Perfect Vision
13. Black Country, New Road – For the First Time
14. Peter Hammill – In Translation
15. Nick Cave & Warren Ellis – CARNAGE
16. Mogwai – As the Love Continues
17. Low – HEY WHAT
18. James – All the Colours of You
19. Ian McNabb – Utopian
20. The Hold Steady – Open Door Policy
I’ve given up participating in end-of-year polls because they are intrinsically pointless. So there.
I shouldn’t care and the fact that, just a little bit, I do is my shame entirely.
Nae probs (and a Happy New Year).
Two reasons I do this thing
1. An easy way for me to find new music. Most of the time I say “Alexa, next” but every so often a sparkling gem lies in the mud of mediocrity.
2. Anyone dipping into this site for the first time thinks it’s all old guys discussing Beatles remasters or Bargie reviewing yet another Rock Legend Chronicle but the poll reveals far more catholic, nay obscure, listening tastes than that
3. It annoys Gary
ps Mods – can you leave this thread pinned till I get back to The Languedoc on Monday?
For you, anything
That’s a shame, Mike. Promises needs your vote 🙂
Besides, I’d love to know which albums you rate highly from this year. I bet it’s packed with Jazz. For me, the whole point of the poll is not the overall result but each contributor’s nominations.
Pointless (from me) statement: I have just listened to the Coral’s album for the first time. It’s quite good. Change your Mind could be a track of the year. Another example of guitar band revivalism, along with the Amitri’s and the Fannies. (And, yes, I know they all have keyboards too.)
Not pointless at all…. So many great songs, I’m a sucker for Old Photographs. What do you make of the narration interludes? I haven’t heard anything like it before and I think it really adds to the overall feel.
Odd but some good lines too: “that tattoo you realise is just a transfer that washes off with tears” (or along that line) being particularly affecting.
I love this section The Great Lafayette. Just perfect in the context of the album and the imagery it creates..
My delayed copy of James Blake – Friends That Break Your Heart arrived earlier this week, but I’ve deliberately not listened to it yet – just in case I’d like it enough to want it in my list…too late, my list got too complicated anyway, enough is enough! 🙂
Well, not to steal anyone’s thunder, but a casual stroll through the thread shows T*e *o*a* looking like slight favourites…
All will be revealed tomorrow (Monday).