Quite the year; it kinda drained me of all my pith, among other things. I just noticed that many of my picks rely more on atmosphere, noise, and repetition more than clever or poetic lyrics. A few sound like noises coming from the next room. Not gonna comment much. — Edvard Graham Lewis // Praed Orchestra! // The Bug Club // Kitchen Cynics // Margery Dew // Grey Malkin // Morwan // Optic Sink // Wreckless Eric // Milkweed // Kunnatic // Mamuthones
There’s a lot that I didn’t sit with long enough and will likely grow in my estimation, but that’s the way time goes. There are a bunch I didn’t even get to hear, but as it is I heard a lot. /// Mary Timony, Tristwch Y Fenwod, Beth Gibbons, Redd Kross, KugelschreIbaer,peter Perrett, Amyl And The Sniffers, The Bevis Frond, Oneida, Pypy
I think I listened to so much music that I didn’t give myself enough time to absorb it all. I also spent too much time with some records at the expense of others. The ones nearer the top are just the ones I listened to the most, though there are many I’m sure would move up in time. Whatever…
I was gonna wait because there are still a dozen-ish things I’m still trying to absorb. I’ve dug more music than usual, this year, but I need to draw the line somewhere. Gonna try and not pontificate too much. Just about everything here is on Bandcamp, if you wanna give them s listen. — Freezing Hands // Lianne Hall // Oneida // The Sadies // Oh Boland // Hurry Up // The Len Price 3 // Nina Nastasia // Robyn Hitchcock // Exek
It was the best of times, it was the worst…fuck me, it was just the worst of times, except for music!!! I’ve actually heard more great music, since losing my store, than I had in some time. There was so much music I couldn’t get to it all. Even today, the day before deadline, I am hearing some great stuff I’d like to investigate further. But at a certain point I just gotta give up. Don’t know if I’m gonna have any pithy remarks for my top 20; my pith is kinda undernourished this year. I will say that I probably listened to more punk, post punk, whatever, than I have in past years. How much will be in my top 20? I dunno yet, I’m just riffing.
You would think that I’d have more time to listen to music, ya know, since my store sank after hitting the covid iceberg. At the store I tended to play one record a few times in a row, and it would work itself into my brain.
At home I tend to listen to the radio more, or watch a movie. So most of my list are records that I really like but have only listened to a few times/ Plus, my cd player and turntable both started to fail about the same time. I rectified that, but it was kinda late in the game, so most of my listening tended to be last minute.
I figure everyone else is gonna do the political rearview, so I’m just gonna plunge ahead. Also, not having the store made getting music a bit harder. I have gotten some entire albums via Youtube. I have ordered a few things directly from labels and I’ve supported Bandcamp Fridays.
This is funny. I was just about done and a blink of the lights caused my entire draft to vanish. There is no frickin’ way I am going to try and recapture the wit of what is now lost to the ether. So instead of trying to recall what I spent the last 2 hours poopin’, I’m just gonna provide a boring list with no comments. Either that or pour a bottle of water on my computer. Missing key words: Robert Wyatt, pagan, rockin’, angular, Canterbury, shoe – gaze, nostalgia, converge, the suffix – esque, some other shit. 1) THE…
I can’t hear everything. A lot of old timers on this list, but enough newer bands that make me feel I’m not ready for the aesthetic dirt nap. I still like noise as much as I adore sad sack bedsit gloom. As usual I’m licking the deadline scrote. Dunno if I’m going to comment on each title; we’ll see. Buy New or Used via Amazon Rent via iTunes [?] 1. HALF MAN HALF BISCUIT – NO ONE CARES ABOUT YOUR CREATIVE HUB SO GET YOUR FUCKIN’ HEDGE CUT. I have only a slight idea of what they are on…
Even as I write this I’m getting in some last minute listening. But most of my favorites were obvious from the first listen. That’s all the preamble I got this year.
Robyn Hitchcock,
The Len Price 3,
Group Doueh & Cheveu,
Aimee Mann,
Pere Ubu,
Dream Syndicate,
Thee Oh Sees,
Marry Waterson/David A. Jaycock,
Faust,
Coco Hames,
INSERT POLITICAL RANT HERE. I’m sure it’s being said better, elsewhere. I should have listened to my Dad, who said DT would win the whole time. And my Dad is not a Lefty hippie anarchist; he’s a 91 year old WW2 veteran. Upon hearing that Steve Bannon was hired for DT’s campaign his words were, “They hired that Nazi from Breitbart.” Oy. Anyways, as always, this is like pulling teeth, but here we go… Buy New or Used via Amazon Rent via iTunes [?] 1. Idris Ackamoor and the Pyramids – WE ALL BE AFRICANS. Sun Ra, Afro-beat, Spiritual Jazz….
My apathy is immeasurable. Lost part of my vision and a good part of my heart (the latter is more of a metaphysical thingy) and had no desire to search for new music with the same vigor as previous years. I’m sure there was plenty of great whatever out there, but I could barely give a poop. Poop. See what I did there? Here’s some stuff I liked: THE BEVIS FROND – Example 22 STICK IN THE WHEEL – From Here GIANT SAND – Heartbreak Pass YO LA TENGO – Stuff Like That There KURT VILE – blieve I’m goin…
1.CARLA BOZULICH – BOY (CONSTELLATION) I had a dream a few nights ago. The world was ending, I was in a plane that was torn in two and heading for a crash. I jumped out, knowing I would catch fire and die screaming. I jumped and started to burn. I woke up on the ground, laughing. I’m not sure what the hell that has to do with this album, except it seems deceptively dark. When it’s over you have a few welts, but what the hell.
Like almost every other year there is so much good music I don’t have the time, or cash, to get it all. Most of my old favorites didn’t let me down. Most of the new favorites sound like old favorites. How many are going to break barriers and change music? I’m guessing none. I’m just glad that I still like it loud. My biggest musical disappointment was the closing of my favorite music venue, Maxwell’s. 95% of the time I became a fan of the opening act. They knew how to put a bill together. Luckily I was able to…
I’m listening to POOP possibles as I type this. I don’t suppose I can have an extra month so I can investigate the intriguing SHINDIG Top Ten, not one title I have heard. Guess not. OK. Buy New or Used via Amazon 1. Ty Segall Band – SLAUGHTERHOUSE Ty released 3 records this year, all worthwhile. This one sounds like he’s been eating Hawkwind for breakfast, with a bit o’ Blue Cheer. Fuzz, hooks, phlegm. Buy New or Used via Amazon 2. Volcano The Bear – GOLDEN RHYTHM/INK MUSIC Just out of curiosity, I Googled VTB and This Heat. SHAZAM!!!…
One of the hardest years to pin down a top 20. It seems like every time I turned around, there was some new music to be heard: some by old standbys and a lot by new acts. A couple of labels seemed to stand out (Sacred Bones, Trouble In Mind). Looking at my list from last year, I noticed that not a lot has changed: a lot of power pop/punk throwbacks alongside the noisemakers and sadsack song-writers. The last couple of years, #1 choices jumped out; I don’t even know what my top choice is as I write this. I…
I felt like I was playing musical dodge ball this year; every time I moved there was some great music to be heard. Maybe it was my purchase of this electronic device this past year that enables me to reach out and touch the world in a sonic way and not have to wash my hands afterward. I never had trouble finding good, new music, though. One thing I noticed was how much of my favorite music, this year, rocked. Fat riffs, shiny hooks, sing-a-long lyrics, 50’s throwbacks, power pop punches…and some of the usual sad bastard stuff and discordant…
I’m finding hard to be interesting, clever, whatever, this year. Most of you know that we lost one of our members, and I lost a friend and boss, Jack Goldberg. All I can hope for is that he would have liked some of the music on this list, and I am sure he would have found most of it annoying as hell. On a positive note, there was so much good music this year, I couldn’t keep up. So, to get as many titles in as I can, I’m keeping the chatter down to… Buy New or Used through…
…the world exploded and all I can feel is self-pity for a broken heart, bad dreams and a couple of lost jobs, but this is a pretty self indulgent. ..I feel like Jack Nicholson in “The Shining,” but I am filling the page with “things fall apart, the center does not hold. things fall apart…” and I want to carve those words into my soul or my arm but I sit here listening to Neko Case, I sit on my bed with a hundred or so totems spread out on my floor so that I can jog my memory but…