In no particular order, 10 of my favourites from 2015 plus a cheeky two that I missed in 2014. The Color Waves ‘Chirology’ Adult Mom ‘Survival’ The Joy Formidable ‘Y Garreg Ateb’ San Fermin ‘Jackrabbit’ Lanterns on the Lake ‘Faultlines’ Paper Aeroplanes ‘Sail’ Courtney Barnett ‘Nobody Really Cares if You Don’t Go to the Party’ … More Top 10 Songs 2015
My 10 favourite albums of 2010 in no particular order: Sharon Van Etten - Are We There St. Vincent - St Vincent Moodoïd - Le Monde Möö French for Rabbits - Spirits Dum Dum Girls - Too True Honeyblood - Honeyblood Mark Lanegan Band - Phantom Radio Gulp - Season Sun The Midnight Pine - … More Top 10 albums 2014
Here’s a confession: I have Americanaphobia. I fear that if I allow into my life too much of it then, before I know it, one day I’ll find myself enjoying, say, Lady Antebellum. And that would be a terrible fate. The trouble is, I keep coming across artists who can clearly be labelled ‘Americana’ whom I … More Song for Saturday: ‘Old Black Hen’ by Songs:Ohia
There’s nothing like a week off for catching up on the books and music that fall by the wayside during busy times. Here, then, is a quick round-up of recent reading and listening that, if you’re looking for ideas, I can strongly recommend. Reading Hubert Selby Jr, ‘Last Exit to Brooklyn.’ As brutal and brilliant as … More Recent recommendations
I may have mentioned, but surely no more than once or twice, that I’m a mite obsessed by Cocteau Twins. I’ve been listening to and loving them since I first heard ‘Pearly Dewdrops’ Drops’ when I was 15. That song is the purple 7″ single you can see on top of the pile in the … More 30 years of buying Cocteau Twins music in one picture
It’s happened before but I wasn’t expecting it this time: a musical malaise has crept up on me. Normally I listen to a mixture of old music augmented by a steady stream of new songs. Right now I can’t be bothered with any of it. There are always times when I feel a bit jaded … More My musical malaise
It’s been a extraordinarily good year for new music as far as I’m concerned. I’ll post my songs of the year shortly. In the meantime, here are some pre-list lists. You can never have too many lists. Album of the Year Islet: Illuminated People From the Six-Million Dollar Man sound effects which mark the opening … More 2012 Music - let the listing begin
