John Lefsky Poop 2016

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 Idris Ackamoor and the Pyramids New or Used via Amazon
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1. Idris Ackamoor and the Pyramids – WE ALL BE AFRICANS. Sun Ra, Afro-beat, Spiritual Jazz. The record that gave me the most aural pleasure. I had never heard the name before and was surprised that Ackamoor has had a long history, including being a student of Cecil Taylor and recording since 1972. I’m going to have to go back and do some research.

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2. Heron Oblivion – HERON OBLIVION. The standard comparisons are Pentangle and Fairport, but former Comets On Fire/Six Organs members crank the volume up while Meg Baird’s vocals soar above the… Jesus Christ, it’s hard to write this stuff without resorting to comparisons and cliche. Great record, motherfuckers!!!

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3.David Bowie – BLACKSTAR. I’m glad I listened to this a dozen times before the Man Who Fell To Earth fell off it. That way I could separate the grief and nostalgia from the music itself.

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4. Shirley Collins – LODESTAR. Like many of my favorite albums of 2016, this one is also chock full of death and decay. Her voice is as weathered as a Gothic landscape and the music is as spare. Let’s party like it’s 1666.

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5. Mekons – EXISTENTIALISM. Got this late in the year and I haven’t totally absorbed it, but, fuck all, it’s the Mekons.

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6. Bob Mould – PATCH THE SKY. Volume Volume Volume.

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7. Thee Oh Sees – A WEIRD EXITS / AN ODD ENTRANCES. Cheating. They released 2 studio albums, but if I could only pick one it might be AN ODD ENTRANCES. Moody and dark, like me.

Buy You Want It Darker - Leonard Cohen New or Used via Amazon
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8. Leonard Cohen – YOU WANT IT DARKER. Yes, I do.

Buy Skeleton Tree - Nick Cave New or Used via Amazon
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9. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds – SKELETON TREE. More despair.

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10. Terry – TERRY H.Q. Australian post -punk, recalling Television Personalities.

11. The Dwarfs Of East Agouza – BES. Alan Bishop is the marquee name here, but I’ve been a fan of Sam Shalbi for awhile. Avoiding the chaos of the Sun City Girls (which I love), The Dwarfs go more for grooves and trances.
12. Swans – GLOWING MAN. Loud, dark, loud dark…just gonna list from here.
13. Bonnie Prince Billy/Bitchin’ Bajas – EPIC JAMMERS
14. Wild Billy Childish & CTMF – SQ1
15. Say No To Architecture – SNITA
16. Eno – THE SHIP
17. ESP Ohio – STARTING POINT OF THE ROYAL CYCLOPEAN
18.Cate Le Bon – CRAB DAY
19. Dinosaur Jr. – GIVE A GLIMPSE OF WHAT YER NOT
20. Bad Luck Jonathan – BAD LUCK JONATHAN

Almost:
P.J.Harvey – THE HOPE SIX DEMOLITION PROJECT.
Ryley Walker – GOLDEN SINGS THAT HAVE BEEN SUNG.
Shana Falana – HERE COMES THE WAVE.
The Handsome Family – UNSEEN.
Alejandro Escovedo – BURN SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL.
There’s a ton of stuff I haven’t heard, so be it.

Reissues, comps, archives:
Big Star – COMPLETE THIRD.
V/A-KINKED!
Muffs – BLONDE AND BLONDER.
Tom Verlaine – TOM VERLAINE/DREAMTIME.
Bruce Springsteen – THE RIVER.
Howe Gelb – SNO ANGEL LIKE YOU.
John Cale – MUSIC FOR A NEW SOCIETY.
Gillian Welch – BOOTS NO. 1.
Terry Allen – JUAREZ.

MOVIES:
THE HANDMAIDEN.
THE WITCH.
AMERICAN HONEY.
GREEN ROOM.
LITTLE MEN.
THE PHENOM.
EMBRACE OF THE SERPENT.
SUNSET SONG.
A BIGGER SPLASH.
THE LOBSTER.
I don’t make out to the movies as often as I’d like, so I’m anticipating a whole bunch, including all the stuff on Tom Whalen’s list.

List done. Don’t wanna miss the deadline.