So,
here it is. Another year and with it more wrinkles, less hair and an expanding
waistline. Living the dream! Suffice to say, it’s been an odd year for all the
well documented reasons to which I won’t go into. We’re lucky that we have
music to get us through, though, right?
In
any case, my waffle from previous top 30s has been somewhat reduced this year,
for I am swapping the sunny climes of Queensland, Australia for the cooler
metropolis of Liverpool, Merseyside over in ol’ blighty, therefore my time has
been largely taken up with packing boxes (including vinyl), applying for visas
and so forth. Again, it’s been a great year for music and below are my
favourite thirty long players. Hope you enjoy:
30.
Artist: Kid
Canaveral
Album: Faulty
Inner Dialogue
Label:
Lost Map Records
Scottish power-poppers, Kid
Canaveral, strike me as being one of those dependable bands who are immune to making a bad album. Although their third album, Faulty Inner Dialogue, is my first encounter with the Scots, I
imagine their first two albums are equally just as impressive (upon further
investigation since the time of writing this, it has proven so). Scotland has always manufactured great
indie-pop acts, but Kid Canaveral aren’t your run-of-the-mill pop collective
off the conveyor belt. Unlike their contemporaries, they replace the feminine
skin-and-bone leanings of twee with more muscle, adding shoegaze and power
chords to an evolving framework. Kid Canaveral are a band that possesses
all the hallmarks for your dyed-in-the-wool cult following; the ultimate band
to treasure for the music nerd.
Favourite
Tracks: First We Take Dumbarton, Pale White Flower, Listen to Me.
29.
Artist: The
Skiffle Players
Album: Skifflin’
Label: Spiritual
Pajamas
Without truly being able to
floor me, Cass McCombs has always intrigued me. His involvement with Neal
Cassel and The Skiffle Players is as close to anything that has, though *. Skifflin’, although rather low-key, operates close to the bone of
psychedelia while staying true to the roots of folk. It’s something that would
resonate with fans of The Grateful Dead and is a gorgeous collection of songs
which provides the perfect backdrop for a road trip across America. In fact, Skifflin’ feels like one of those great
American folk albums that form the fabric of the country’s landscape, which, in
conclusion, is a shame considering the little press it has
received this year. Even
some fans of McCombs’ solo work are yet to stumble across it.
* Then came Cass’s new solo album – more on that later.
Favourite
Tracks: A Star for You, Skiffle Strut, When the Title Was Wrote.
28.
Artist: Conrad
Keely
Album: Original
Machines
Label: Superball Music
After years of sonic toil,
…And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead frontman, Conrad Keely, has
splintered off from the mighty Deads to carve out an impressive debut solo
opus in Original Machines. It’s
Keely’s Robert Pollard moment, knocking out twenty-four songs in under an hour.
Unlike Pollard’s lo-fi ditties that sometimes fail on the quality control
front, Keely has trimmed the fat off the ToD sound template and presented a
melange of anthemic chords and raw pop melodies. There’s a lot to like on Original Machines which seldom wavers in
quality. Although it probably won’t garner many new listeners, ToD devotees
will find a lot to like here. Admittedly when ToD are concerned us diehards
aren’t that hard to please, but partiality aside, Conrad has added another
feather to his cap here.
Favourite
Tracks: Inside the Cave, All That’s Left is Land, Out on the
Road, Before the Swim.
27.
Artist: Kevin
Morby
Album: Singing
Saw
Label: Dead
Oceans
With
two albums already in the bag, former Woods bassist, Kevin Morby, really arrives
with his third LP, Singing Saw.
Although the Dylan comparisons will be rampant, it’s worth pointing out that
Morby manages to form his own identity throughout Singing Saw. While a worthy stereo listen, it’s with headphones
that Singing Saw really reveals
itself. The subtle horn sections and soul singers provide a lovely
orchestral-like backdrop for Morby’s stories. It’s an album which contains a
slew of tender moments and it’s these passages that transcend this release from a good one to a great one. While Singing Saw sees
Morby arrive at his creative arc, I would urge those who are yet to indulge in
his back catalogue to do so. It’s just as striking.
Favourite
Tracks: Drunk and on a Star, Destroyer, Ferris Wheel, Water.
26.
Artist: Lone
Album: Levitate
Label: R&S
Records
Like Zomby, Matt Cutler,
under the guise of Lone, brings us nostalgia through the snapshot of ’90s rave
with his latest album, Levitate.
However, his ability to weave an impression ensconced in the modern leanings of
tech-house, not to mention the misty crate digging soundscapes, is a striking
exploit. While a lot of electronic albums embark in self-indulgence and
incessant knob-twiddling that almost feels like a journey from dusk till dawn, Levitate is very much an in and out
approach, clocking in at under thirty-five minutes. In a landscape where
electronic music has been in somewhat of a lull during the past eighteen
months, Levitate does a good job in
presenting us a nexus between the past, present, and future.
Favourite
Tracks: Alpha Wheel, Vapour Trailer, Breeze Out.
25.
Artist: Ed
Kuepper
Album: Lost
Cities
Label: Prince
Melon
The
former Saints man continues to churn our modestly fine albums and his latest
oeuvre, Lost Cities, is no exception.
With over forty-five albums in the bag,
Lost Cities occupies the upper echelon within Ed Kuepper’s temple of
sounds. Kuepper’s involvement with the Last
Cab to Darwin OST is evident here, for those sonic remnants throughout the
soundtrack remain here on Lost Cities
and the album is better for it. Kuepper has created a proper Australian album
here. I find that most artists from Australia these days appear to have lost
the identity of localism, instead embracing American ideas culture, or the
like. Kuepper is an old school purveyor and Lost
Cities is a fine representation of good music that has been produced
from these shores. It’s a charming sparse tour-de-force and a fine addition to
his already impressive arsenal of long players.
Favourite
Tracks: Pavane, What Can I Leave You?, Some Said, Queen of the
Vale (That’s V.A.L.E.).
24.
Artist: The
Besnard Lakes
Album: A
Coliseum Complex Museum
Label: Jagjaguwar
Where end of year lists are
concerned, releasing albums so early in the year can be hazardous in
the realm of forgotten quantities. Unfortunately, The Besnard Lakes’ A
Coliseum Complex Museum probably
falls into this trap and while many will suggest that the band’s fifth album
doesn’t stray too far from their sonic template, when that template is so
monolithic, then sometimes it’s not such a bad thing. ACCM is a slow burner, but
when it cottons on the results are fascinating. The Besnard Lakes’
neo-psychedelic shoegaze assault is raucous as much as it is ethereal. The band
has conjured up a gale-force of melodic psychedelia, tailor-made for small rock
clubs and these songs will add further mass to their already awe-inspiring live
show. Jace Lasek and Olga Goreas have pulled off yet another coup here.
Favourite
Tracks: The Bray Road Beast, Golden Lion, Nightingale, Tungsten
4: The Refugee.
23.
Artist: Julia
Jacklin
Album: Don’t
Let the Kids Win
Label: Polyvinyl
Record Co.
There’s always an album in
my end of year list that creeps up and lands a flooring one-two combination.
Julia Jacklin’s Don’t Let the Kids Win
is that album. The Blue Mountains native has delivered a folk gem here. The
album is top heavy with backing-band ditties not too dissimilar to Angel Olsen
and while these tracks are impressive, it’s when Jacklin strips it back to just
her and an acoustic guitar when things go to another level. Along with Olsen,
there are also leanings of early Devendra Banhart, as Jacklin takes us through
her stories about airports and growing up in Australia. It’s a majestic piece
of work and highlights her precocious gift. Quite bluntly, over the years I’ve
found most singer-songwriters from our shores to possess an inherent lack of
soul and panache. Jacklin stands alone, though. This lady is the real deal.
Favourite
Tracks: Elizabeth, Same Airport, Hay Plain.
22.
Artist: Bloodiest
Album: Bloodiest
Label: Relapse
Records
A collaboration between
Chicago pinball artists (including the great 90 Day Men and Russian Circles), Bloodiest’s
self-titled sophomore album is less like a pigeonhole and more like an ocean.
They aren’t metal per se, nor are they neo-classical. They are, well, just
Bloodiest, and I have to say they have released one of the nice surprises of
2016. The closest thing to compare the Chicago natives to would be the end time
ballads Crippled Black Phoenix perfected during their first two albums. With
little fanfare, Bloodiest have released something for the thought-provoking men
and women of the sonic chapel. There’s a primal ferocity with Bloodiest. There are moments where the
slender fragments of Shipping News are ensnared with the fierce bludgeoning of
Neurosis. Post-rock nerds will dig the swirling quality of Bloodiest, while certain quarters of the metal community will cherish its
edgier moments. Even the interests of those in the trad-rock pantheon may be piqued. Sonically, Bloodiest is a subversive declaration and although it
won’t garner the plaudits it deserves, there’s little doubt of its eminence.
Favourite
Tracks: Mesmerize, Crooked Teeth, Separation.
21.
Artist: Ital
Tek
Album: Hollowed
Label: Planet
Mu
Once
ingrained in the dubstep genre, Alan Myson (Ital Tek) has followed his
contemporaries out the door, stepping away from the dance floor and into
something of a menacing whirlpool with Hollowed
– his largest sonic leap yet. Drenched
in drone not to mention the bowel twitching sub bass, Hollowed is a dark record ensconced in ambiance with slight techno
leanings, resulting in moments where the peaks hit you square in the solar
plexus. Whilst dubstep is deemed a dirty word in 2016, its purveyors seemed to
have moved on, plying various alternative sonic incursions. Post-dubstep or
whatever you wish to call it, Ital Tek’s Hollowed
is a notable journey and with electronic music currently experiencing a lull in
superiority, there aren’t many electronic albums released this year that are
greater than Hollowed.
Favourite Tracks: Terminus,
Cobra, Murmur, Jenova.
20.
Artist: Jim
James
Album: Eternally
Even
Label: Capitol/ATO Records
Jim
James garners his inspiration from the ’60s and ’70s and his work as frontman
of the great My Morning Jacket has demonstrated as much. His solo output –
notwithstanding his the Monsters of Folk collaboration or the EP of George
Harrison covers – is an avenue where he gathers more inspiration from the golden
eras of music. And he does so with aplomb during his second solo album, Eternally Even. While its predecessor, Regions of Light and Sound of God, had its moments
(‘I.O.U.’), Eternally Even sees James
in full on soul boy mode with the back drop of old school psychedelia. It’s a
political record and perhaps a facet which James has not been afforded with MMJ
so overtly. James has always been a soul boy at heart and here he harnesses
those influences so incisively. It’s a lovely piece of work and one of his
greatest releases yet.
Favourite
Tracks: Same Old Lie, Here In Spirit, We Ain’t Getting Any
Younger Pt. 2, Eternally Even.
19.
Artist: Deftones
Album: Gore
Label: Reprise
Records
Some will suggest that Gore is a return to form for the
Deftones. However, other than the underwhelming Saturday Night Wrist, the Sacramento natives have rarely dipped
from their creative arc and Gore further
illustrates this notion. Still somewhat tarnished by their association with the
late ’90s nu-metal incursion, Deftones have always had so much more about them.
Spiritual leader, Chino Moreno, is a dynamic artist, spreading his wings
throughout various projects over the years, but Deftones has always been the focal
point of his creative apex. Gore
displays all of the Deftones’ genre-defining traits; the atmospheric beauty of
the acclaimed White Pony to the
downright belligerence of Around the Fur.
Although drawing from their past at times, they still manage to penetrate their
sound template to provide a fresh hybrid of street-rock. Gore is certainly a triumph and a striking addition to their
already impressive body of work.
Favourite
Tracks: Prayers/Triangles, (L)MIRL, Phantom Bride, Rubicon.
18.
Artist: Moonface
and Siinai
Album: My
Best Human Face
Label: Jagjaguar
Although better known for
his work in Wolf Parade, Spencer Krug has used his Moonface moniker to expand
his sonic boundaries and dabble in other genres. Over the years, Moonface have
been consistently good without causing seismic ripples throughout the independent
music landscape, and in context My Best
Human Face probably won’t change that. That’s not to say it isn’t Moonface’s
finest work yet, because for me it is. For the second time, Krug teams up
Finland prog-rockers, Siinai, and presents seven tracks that are entrenched in a
hypnotic glam pastiche whilst holding onto an ’00s indie-rock ambiance; the
latter, a genre Krug has always been at the pointy end of. If Roxy Music were
still on the go, they would probably be making something like this.
Favourite
Tracks: The Nightclub Artiste, Risto’s Riff, City Wrecker.
17.
Artist: Swans
Album: The
Glowing Man
Label: Young
God Records
Although I
enjoyed Swans’ last two albums in parts, The
Glowing Man is a captivating end to this current incarnation of Swans. It’s
a cathartic journey of sonic purveyance. A transcendent out-of-body experience.
The quiet/loud build ups are something that Steve Albini would be proud of.
John Congleton deserves all the credit for creating such a work of art, continuing
to enhance his worth as one of the modern day’s great rock producers. He best
manages to harness the sonic hailstorms of post-rock and sludge belligerence,
entwining these blocks of sound with quasi-Tibetan howls. Out of the last three
albums, I feel that this one has truly captured the behemoth that is Swans’
live show and for that all involved must take great applause. The title track
is one of the best things I’ve heard Michael Gira actually create. A flint-hearted
maelstrom of sound. The song itself is an absolute masterpiece.
Favourite
Tracks: Frankie M, The Glowing Man, Finally, Peace.
16.
Artist: Wrekmeister
Harmonies
Album: Light
Falls
Label: Thrill
Jockey
JR
Robinson’s Wrekmeister Harmonies project is starting to reach its peak, to the
point where the band is making the chamber-doom hybrid their own. Robinson has
been on a consistent run of form these past few years with Light Falls following up from last
year’s Night of Your Ascension.
Enlisting Godspeed You! Black Emperor members, Tim Herzog (drums), and Sophie
Trudeau (violin, piano), Robinson has cultivated an array of ominous
soundscapes to form a perfect milieu for his art. Notwithstanding the immeasurable
dark themes which are centred on the Holocaust, at times it feels as though
this could be post-rock designed for the campfire, with the slow orchestral
build-ups forging a shadowy juxtaposition with Robinson’s acoustic noodlings. Light Falls is Wrekmeister Harmonies
finest effort yet and sets up an intriguing future for the project.
Favourite Tracks: Light
Falls II – The Light Burns Us All,
Where Have You Been My Lovely Son, Some Were Saved Some Were Drowned.
15.
Artist: Black
Mountain
Album: IV
Label: Jagjaguwar
Black Mountain’s IV operates in a vein of cosmic psychebilly
where monstrous Sabbath-like chords transform into ’Floyd-esque bliss, clashing
with the melting vocal harmonies of one Amber Webber; one of my favourite
modern day singers to boot. If Marissa Nadler’s voice makes you melt then
Webber’s almost freezes you to the marrow. Thawing out never felt so good,
though, and once again Webber adds to her impressive array of vocal
performances throughout IV, alongside brains trust and
partner-in-crime Stephen McBean. The celestial psych-rock hybrid that Black
Mountain deliver on IV is best
consumed out from the barnyard and under the stars. It’s easily Black
Mountain’s best album since their eponymous debut and just when many thought
the fire had all but smouldered, it’s safe to say that the behemoth that is Black
Mountain is certainly ablaze. Suffice to say, McBean and Co. have sprung one of
the pleasant surprises of 2016 with IV.
Favourite
Tracks: Mother of the Sun, Florian Saucer Attack, Constellations, Space to Bakersfield.
14.
Artist: A Dead
Forest Index
Album: In
All That Drifts from Summit Down
Label: Sargent
House
London based duo, A Dead
Forest Index, are an intriguing bunch. In
All That Drifts from Summit Down, the band’s debut LP, is a conception from the stables of the excellent Sargent
House. It’s an androgynous sprawl, rendered
through a warped, brooding prism. The songs consisting of In All That Drifts from Summit Down aren’t exactly end time
ballads, per se, but by the same token you can almost imagine this as your
soundtrack whilst emerging from the high seas. It has that empowering quality,
injecting equal parts of masculine drone and feminine slow-core dirges. Those
who have fallen in love with Chelsea Wolfe’s Abyss will find this album equally gratifying, for its aesthetic moves
in a similar realm.
Favourite
Tracks: No Paths, Summit Down, Myth Retraced.
13.
Artist: Cass
McCombs
Album: Mangy
Love
Label: –Anti
It’s been quite the year for
troubadour, Cass McCombs. Firstly, he put together some of his best work yet
the Skiffle Players. Then, he released what is arguably his greatest feat thus
far with Mangy Love. McCombs has
always possessed a sharp wit and that is once again at play here on Mangy Love. As stated in my
aforementioned Skiffle Players love-in, I’ve always found McCombs somewhat of a
hard sell. His music needs undivided attention. His messages are buried deep
within a swathe of dark humour and with Mangy
Love, McCombs joins the pantheon of
great modern day storytellers. Where McCombs differs slightly is that he
possesses a severe intolerance for fools, further enhancing his legend. It’s
hard to say whether Mangy Love is
McCombs’ artistic crest, for his ceiling is undoubtedly lofty. If his best is
yet to come, then it will be worth the wait.
Favourite
Tracks: Rancid Girl, Medusa’s Outhouse, In A Chinese Alley, It,
I’m A Shoe.
12.
Artist: Drive-By
Truckers
Album: American
Band
Label: ATO
Records
Immigration,
race, guns and politics. These are the themes which underpin the Drive-By
Truckers’ latest album, American Band – perhaps
their best album since their fine run of form in the early ’00s. It feels like
a Drive-By Truckers album. The foot-stomping licks, southern fried and served
up red hot. It’s the tone of the album which stands alone in the Truckers’
canon, though. Before listening, you knew judging by the album’s artwork that
this was going in the direction of a protest album and band leaders, Patterson
Hood and Mike Cooley, have delivered a plethora of home truths throughout this
empowering release. Although very much a
protest album, it doesn’t have that feel of division. As a listener, whichever
side of politics the individual occupies, you can’t help but just nod your head
in agreement. Along with Sturgill
Simpson, Driver-By Truckers continue to set the benchmark for this genre.
Favourite
Tracks: Ramon Casiano, Surrender Under Protest, Ever South, What
it Means.
11.
Artist: Touché
Amoré
Album: Stage
Four
Label: Epitaph
As the album title suggests,
Stage Four is a concept album based
on Touché Amoré frontman Jeremy Bolm’s mother, who passed away after a lengthy
battle with cancer. With the assistance of his band mates, who have provided
Bolm with a tempest of melodic riffs and heavy chords, the frontman has poured
his heart out in one of the most moving accomplishments recorded to tape this
year. It’s a perfect storm that Touché Amoré has created and certainly Stage Four is a defining moment for the
post-hardcore genre. From a literal standpoint, it’s been a confronting year
for artists to use music as a muse to wrestle with their personal struggles.
Nick Cave broke hearts with Skeleton Tree
and although Stage Four is just as
emotionally taxing, you can’t help but feel a sense of hope throughout its
journey. It's almost like you feel better off for having this album in your
life.
Favourite
Tracks: Flowers and You, Displacement, Benediction, Water Damage, Skyscraper.
10.
Artist: Lambchop
Album: FLOTUS
Label:
Merge Records
Let me start off by saying
that it takes a lot for me to hate. Auto tune is an exception, though. My view relating to auto tune is that it’s a complete abomination and in thirty years it will be frowned upon as the worst thing ever to be introduced in
music, even surpassing every rotten aspect of the ’80s. However, reverting back
to those exceptions and even fucking auto tune has one. That very exception is
Kurt Wagner, or more specifically, Lambchop’s FLOTUS. This shouldn’t really work, but for some uncanny reason it
ticks all the boxes. Wagner has carved out a career of bending genres and
blurring the lines of sonic styles in his quest to create something original.
Hands down, FLOTUS is yet another
string to his bow. He doesn’t overdo this auto tune business. It’s subtle and
while truly noticeable, the gorgeous backdrops of sound – not limited to spatial hip-hop
beats and palatable lounge riffs – are what makes FLOTUS the accomplishment it truly is.
Favourite
Tracks: FLOTUS, Writer, Relatives #2, NIV, The Hustle.
9.
Artist: Neurosis
Album: Fires
Within Fires
Label: Neurot
Recordings
After my first listen to Fires Within Fires, I felt as though
Oakland’s finest, Neurosis, had tanked. For a start, Neurosis making an album
closing under forty-five minutes is about as rare as rocking horse shit. Upon
further listening, Fires Within Fires – the
band’s eleventh long player – had
begun to reveal itself, to the point where it now feels as though Neurosis have
taken us back to the days of Times of
Grace. Fires Within Fires is a
revealing piece that hits in all the right places during its forty-two minutes
of speaker bleeding fury. The band has always operated inside a unique dark
vortex and this album is yet another demonstration of their aural bludgeoning.
This time that aural bludgeoning is more compressed, delivered at break-neck
ferocity. The breath-catching ambient interludes are replaced with
balls-to-wall low-end riff-a-rolla that will undoubtedly give the ’90s faction
of Neurosis adherents much pleasure. In fact, it’s a moment where those older
fans may well come together with the new breed, enjoying this in unison. Neurosis’
fire still rages in the belly, while their soul remains ever-present.
Favourite
Tracks: Bending Light, Fire is the End Lesson, Broken Ground, Reach.
8.
Artist: Weyes
Blood
Album: Front
Row Seat to Earth
Label: Kemado
Records
Weyes Blood is the solo
project of Jackie-O Motherfucker's Natalie Mering. Weyes Blood’s second
album, Front Row Seat to Earth,
captures Mering nestled within the pastiche of ’70s west coast with some hippified Laurel
Canyon vibes thrown in. All told, this is tailor-made for churches. Mering’s glacial arrangements are sparse along with her melodies that are presented so
flawlessly. Lyrically, things are just as impressive. Mering may just be the
only person on earth who can gracefully get away with singing “YOLO” during a
chorus (‘Generation Why’). Although Nick Cave’s Skeleton Tree might be the ultimate alone record released this
year, the compositions which comprise of Weyes Blood’s Front Row Seat to Earth are certainly its closest rival. It’s an
album that has infinite layers, which reveals itself more and more after
each listen. There aren’t too many records of this ilk being released these
days. It really is a thing of beauty.
Favourite
Tracks: Diary, Generation Why, Can’t Go Home, Away Above.
7.
Artist: David
Bowie
Album: Blackstar
Label: Columbia
Records
Sentimentality aside, with Blackstar David Bowie delivered an album
that many would place in his top ten. Given the tragic circumstances
surrounding Blackstar, in context it
may be one of his greatest accomplishments; the perfect parting gift. The
saxophone reappears. Not since Let’s
Dance has it been so prominent throughout Bowie’s music, but during Blackstar the skronk isn’t ’80s pastiche
but more like a gale-forced wind of Sun-Ra. The production is exquisite, its
architect at the top of his game.
While the video for ‘Lazarus’ provided a shocking prescience, it’s ‘I
Can’t Give Everything Away’ that hits the hardest. In the history of art, not
many have written their own eulogy, but with Blackstar’s closing track, David Bowie has accomplished that very
feat. For the man once described as “the closest thing to God”, it’s fitting
that it was the Thin White Duke who achieved it. Rest In Peace, David Bowie.
Favourite
Tracks: ’Tis a Pity She Was a Whore, Lazarus, Dollar Days, I Can’t Give Everything
Away.
6.
Artist: MJ
Guider
Album: Precious
Systems
Label: Kranky
To describe MJ Guider
(Melissa Guion), many will draw upon the classical noodlings of Nils Frahm, the
out-there eccentricity of Julia Holter and enchanting mood-scapes of Julianna Barwick and Grouper. Although perhaps lazy to lean on
the aforementioned touchstones, I would imagine that these intentions are not to suggest Guider’s debut album, Precious
Systems, is derivative. Guider reaches similar moments to her ambient
colleagues by experimenting in vastly different backdrops, not limited to
post-punk and dream-pop. The result is Precious
Systems and it’s as good and if
not better than any releases of those very artists. Kranky’s stable of aural
transmitters are generally aloof figures, receiving very few plaudits apart
from the devoted few soundscape connoisseurs. MJ Guider probably won’t differ,
for the shadowy guise of most ambient artists goes hand-in-hand with the art in which they create. Precious Systems
is an uplifting series of swelling drone and glacial soundscapes. It’s as good
as anything Kranky have released since Labradford dominated their roster.
Favourite
Tracks: Lit Negative, White Alsatian, Their Voices Clear Now, Evencycle.
5.
Artist: Eric
Bachmann
Album: Eric
Bachmann
Label: Merge
Records
Chapel Hill native, Eric
Bachmann, is best known for his sonic incursions as frontman of the venerable
indie-rockers, Archers of Loaf. During the ’00s, though, Bachmann carved out
quite the modest vocation, releasing two solo albums and various other long players
with his band, Crooked Fingers. Not to beat around the bush, but his new
self-titled LP is arguably his finest work since his days of perforating listeners’
ear drums with the Archers. Almost against all odds, Bachmann has gone from
being one of the key purveyors of ’90s American indie-rock to becoming one of
the finest modern day troubadours. Although many are talking about other
singer-songwriters in 2016, the wily veteran has just about blown the rest of the
competition out of the water with this set of achingly beautiful tracks. It’s emotionally
raw, brutally candid and cuts ocean deep. Aesthetically, Eric Bachmann is a snapshot into the future of Americana. What
makes it so great is that its source is an unlikely one.
Favourite
Tracks: Belong to You, Mercy, Carolina, The Old Temptation.
4.
Artist: Emma
Ruth Rundle
Album: Marked
for Death
Label: Sargent
House
Having worked within the
post-rock pantheon (Red Sparowes, Marriages), Emma Ruth Rundle is back in a
solo capacity, delivering her finest piece of work with her third LP, Marked for Death. Marriages’ 2015
release, Salome, was a truly breathtaking affair (it finished in my top five last
year) and Marked for Death is every
bit as good. While Rundle’s sophomore solo album, Some Heavy Ocean, was impressively virtuous, it’s Marked for Death that lifts her into a
whole new stratosphere. Rundle has a mysterious penchant for dragging us into
her dark vortex where she forges a truly spellbinding matrimony between
heart-aching diatribes and bruising sonic aggression.
Eight tracks and not a dead spot to boot here. Marked for Death is good. Marked
for Death is cry-into-your-beer-glass good. In fact, Marked for Death is even better than that. Marked for Death is an astonishing work of art and to be honest, I
can’t quite believe just how astonishing it is.
Favourite
Tracks: Protection, Hand of God, Heaven, Furious Angel.
3.
Artist: Holy
Sons
Album: In
the Garden
Label: Partisan
Records
One of the most gratifying
facets in my life is based on the knowledge that Emil Amos, or more specifically his Holy Sons project, is still releasing
new music. Another year passes and Amos, (Grails, Om, Lilacs &
Champagne fame) never fails to deceive. This time he brings us In the Garden – an album that represents
a wider berth of sounds. It’s hardly surprising, though. He has been working up
to this moment since 2014’s The Fact
Facer. Then there was last year’s excellent Fall of Man, which contained vibes attributed to Dennis Wilson. Amos has rounded
off his Berlin trilogy moment by going into full Dennis mode here, backed by
something akin to Pink Floyd circa The Dark
Side of the Moon. Holy Sons has always garnered from the ’70s, revelling deep within the realms of lo-fi. This time Amos breaks the lo-fi shackles and appears
comfortable in doing so. If you ever wanted to disappear into a dark corner of
the world, then In the Garden would
be your perfect companion. While Grails and Om are truly fantastic projects in
their own respective rights, Holy Sons is where Amos showcases his talent best.
Hands down, he is the greatest hidden artist in the world today. A true outsider.
Favourite Tracks: Robbed
and Gifted, Denmark, Original Sin,
Eyes Can See Clearly, In the Garden.
2.
Artist: Nick
Cave & The Bad Seeds
Album: Skeleton
Tree
Label: Bad
Seed Ltd
What can you say? When death
arrives, that’s all you really can say. Feature film, One More Time With Feeling, is gentle, vexing and just plain sad.
Nick Cave looks like he’s at the ends of the earth, to the point where you just
want to reach through the screen and give him an infinite hug. To be frank, Skeleton Tree is one of the most moving
listening experiences I’ve ever encountered. Despite a proportion of Skeleton Tree having been written prior to the
death of Cave’s son, Arthur, the crushing aftermath naturally weighs heavy
throughout this heartbreaking journey, to the point where it’s almost best to avoid
listening. Like all great albums, though, it has a haunting ability to keep
drawing you in. Cave shares his despair, and in turn his audience are duty
bound to lighten the load by vicariously experiencing this harrowing moment. It
may just be one of the saddest records ever made. It’s also Cave’s greatest
moment as an artist.
Favourite
Tracks: Rings of Saturn, Girl in Amber, Magneto, I Need You,
Skeleton Tree.
1.
Artist: Radiohead
Album: A
Moon Shaped Pool
Label: XL
Recordings
After the hysteria which
always surrounds the announcement and release of a Radiohead album, it’s always
important to step back and apply rational thought. Even then, a notable bias
can always make its presence felt within one’s subconscious. Announcement,
released, listened to a dozen times and after the dust settled, it’s fair to
that A Moon Shaped Pool is indeed,
one of the best albums Radiohead has delivered. While Hail to the Thief was dubbed as the album that “had all the good
bits of their previous albums,” as explained by guitarist, Ed O’Brien, twelve
years later, A Moon Shaped Pool is an enhancement
of Hail to the Thief and if anything, feels like a
companion cut to OK Computer. The
strings are beautiful with Jonny Greenwood’s solo oeuvres finding their way
within the walls of Radiohead manor. Thom Yorke’s melodies haven’t sounded
better (‘Daydreaming’ better than ‘Pyramid Song’?). While the only thing that
got more media attention this year was the tedious US Election (I loathe to say
that name, or – in all honesty – those names!), A Moon Shaped Pool received just as much coverage from all corners.
While my intention is based around unearthing albums people may have missed
during the year, sometimes you can’t discard certain releases that have the
pull to reach more ears. Radiohead’s A
Moon Shaped Pool really is a triumph and their best album since Kid A. As far as masterpieces go, it has
a seat at the table.
Favourite
Tracks: Daydreaming, Decks Dark, Ful Stop, Indentikit, The
Numbers.
Top 30 Recap:
30.
Kid Canaveral – Faulty Inner Dialogue
29.
The Skiffle Players - Skifflin'
28.
Conrad Keely – Original Machines
27.
Kevin Morby – Singing Saw
26.
Lone - Levitate
25.
Ed Kuepper - Lost Cities
24.
The Besnard Lakes - A Coliseum Complex
Museum
23.
Julia Jacklin – Don’t Let the Kids Win
22.
Bloodiest - Bloodiest
21.
Ital Tek - Hollowed
20.
Jim James – Eternally Even
19.
Deftones - Gore
18.
Moonface and Siinai - My Best Human Face
17.
Swans - Glowing Man
16.
Wrekmeister Harmonies – Light Falls
15.
Black Mountain – IV
14.
A Dead Forest Index - A Dead Forest Index
13.
Cass McCombs – Mangy Love
12. Drive-By
Truckers – American Flag
11.
Touché Amore – Stage Four
10.
Lambchop - Flotus
9.
Neurosis – Fires Within Fires
8.
Weyes Blood – Front Row Seat to Earth
7.
David Bowie – Blackstar
6.
MJ Guider - Precious Systems
5.
Eric Bachmann -Eric Bachmann
4.
Emma Ruth Rundle – Marked for Death
3.
Holy Sons - In The Garden
2.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Skeleton Tree
1.
Radiohead - A Moon Shaped Pool
Previous Top 30 Albums:
By Simon K.
