2021 end of year lists

Nice seeing Anthony Joseph making a dent on lists, love it.

Anthony Joseph, dark horse for the soapy number one this year

HERE WE FUCKING GO LEEK. Court cases and a deafness in one ear couldn't prevent me from delivering this list, even if I was still working hard last neet at it. albums 40-31



40: Pip Blom - Welcome Break


Man, this has some indie-rock bangers on here. Really wasn't fussed about this band at all at first, found them a bit tame. Then saw them play at the Windmill with a bunch of other bands and warmed to them a little. Still, this record caught me by surprise. I like the guitar sound on this, the chorus always comes in nice and loud. It isn't anything special, it's something I'll probably forget about soon, but sometimes I've just gotta give credit where its due. 20 year old Mahoney would have played the CD of this a 1000 times

39: Camera - Prosthuman

Progressive electronic meets Krautrock from Berlin, I tried one of their records a few years ago & whilst it was solid, nothing really stood out. This record fucking slams though. Really well textured, lots of repetitive & hypnotic sounds in a NEU! kinda way, intense drums, cool guitar parts & most importantly for me with instrumental music, lots of variety on display. I'd imagine these would be great to catch live.

38: Ed Dowie - The Obvious I

I became aware of Ed Dowie seeing him support Gruff Rhys a few years back. He did a oddball pop kinda thing. This time around he's gone full synthpop, there's a few tracks that could pass for OMD, but at the same time it still feels like a bedroom project, lots of layered vocals, programmed beats & catchy synth parts. It's a record which I quite enjoyed on release, but kept sounding better each time I heard it.

37: Muck Spreader - Abysmal

Late discovery for me. A TCOTU group doing this sort of experimental post-punk with a vocalist that often sounds pissed off doing a spoken word thing. I know there's a ton of these type of bands right now but these really stand out as it feels so loose. Not had a chance to see them yet, apparently the line-up of musicians constantly changes and they have no setlist so it's usually completely improvised each night. That certainly makes sense when you hear the record, it's all over the place but they definitely have something that is unique enough to stand out from the already overcrowded room for this kinda thing.

36: Jazz Spastiks - Camera of Sound

Enjoyed a bunch of releases from Jazz Spastiks over the past few years. This one's another solid as fuck release. It's that 90s boom bap/jazz-rap done so authentically that I'm pretty sure you could trick most into believing it came from then. I've gotta admit I'm not huge on a lot of modern hip hop styles that are popular right now so this kinda thing hits my sweet spot.

35: Subsonic Eye - Nature of Things

Straight up old fashioned indie-rock from Singapore. This is a record which I kinda liked on release even if it is a little nice & twee for my usual tastes. These songs, simple as they are, have had some real staying power with me. Production is on point & the songs are have enough hooks to keep me coming back. Perhaps helps that the records only 27 minutes long too. Curious to see if they can develop their sound and make something even stronger next time around.

34: The Coral - Coral Island

A band I'd completely given up with to the point where I didn't even bother listening to the previous record they'd put out. After seeing many strong reviews I decided to give this a go & it's definitely a return to form. When I say a return to form, I mean to about 05-07 Invisible Invasion/Roots & Echo's form. Where Skelly is knocking out well crafted pop songs which are easy on the ear. Initially I think I was just overjoyed that The Coral had made something worthwhile again. For a double record its really well paced & the spoken word interludes really add a lot to it as a while. That said, man I wish they'd make some freakish psychedelic pop again. I can't really knock this record, song for song its very strong, I just wish they didn't play everything so safe. This is a record I've not felt like coming back to often & I'll probably just revert to only listening to their first couple of records once this record wears off. What I'd kill for a I Remember When or Dressed Like a Cow in 2021. Still, for a band that I'd given up on, this is a fine return.

33: Arthhur - Occult Fractures

the best LCD Soundsystem record record since American Dream! Had never heard of these before, Chicago band who had released a couple of records prior to this. It's so similar to LCD Soundsystem that if you threw James Murphy's vocals on you could con anyone. Infact, the vocals are pretty similar to Murphy anyway. So yeah, zero originality but fucking hell they've nailed that sound, the opening six tracks are all proper bangers. If the record ended there it would be one of my favourites of the year. Unfortunately the three tracks that proceed it are fucking awful. Completely out of place with what came before it, a sort of proper worst of 80s smooth funk. Bizarre really, and a real shame. Hard to place this record within the list, could have been bloody brilliant.

32: Sophia Chablau e Uma Enorme Perda de Tempo - Sophia Chablau e Uma Enorme Perda de Tempo

Brilliant discovery I made on RYM. 4-piece from São Paulo doing a sort of lo-fo/noise pop hybrid with a couple of psych moments, some nods to bossa nova & some jazzy keyboard work. Crams a lot into its short 22 minute run-time. Feels like more of an introduction to the band than a full length, exciting to hear what they do next.

31: The Bug Club - Pure Particles

A late addition to my list, cheers to kev for recommending these. Bug Club are a 3-piece Welsh group doing a indie-pop/rock & roll hybrid with short, yet stupidly catchy throwaway pop tunes with amusing lyrics. Been addicted to this over the past few weeks, 9 songs in just over 20 minutes. Glorious. Hope to catch them live sometime soon.

.....

top 20 gigs:

going to cheat with my number 8, both wonderful nights where I finally got to hear so many of my favourite songs performed live.. guilt-free!

01: Black Midi @ Green Man

02: Tina @ The Moth Club

03: Egyptian Blue @ Green Man

04: Squid @ The Silver Building

05: Black Country, New Road @ the Lexington

06: Dry Cleaning @ Brockwell Park

07: The Cool Greenhouse @ The Windmill (june 9th)

08: Rick Astley & Blossoms @ Kentish Town Forum + The Joneses @ The Peltham Arms

09: Baxter Dury @ Crystal Palace Bowl

10: Nadine Shah @ the 100 Club

11: Nick Cave & Warren Ellis @ Fairfield Halls

12: Thundercat @ Green Man (could have been one of the best had I not been a million miles away)

13: The Cribs @ Pryzm

14: Barry @ The George Tavern

15: Pozi @ The Lexington

16: King Salami & the Cumberland 3 @ the New Cross Inn

17: The Morgan Simpson Group @ The Albany

18: Charlotte Church's Late Night Pop Dungeon @ Green Man

19: Deliluh @ The Waiting Room

20: DeadLetter @ The Windmill

A special mention to John Bramwell, for being a massive pisshead. 

Why aren't The Charlatans on your top 20 gigs FFS.

30-21

30: Matt Maltese - Good Morning It’s Now Tomorrow

I'm really surprised how much I've ended up liking this record. I really loved his debut from 2018, but the follow up I thought was useless so wasn't really bothered about this. I listened to his set at Green Man festival whilst laying down in the sun & it sounded pleasant, yet nothing I'd be too arsed about. Even when I tried the record, I thought it was nice but wasn't sure if I'd care that much. But I kept coming back to it & the songs have just really worked their way into my head. It's essentially heart on sleeve 70s piano driven soft-rock... not something I particularly care for, but there's just something in these simple breezy tunes that kept me hooked & I'll have to put it down simply to the song-writing. It's completely on the nose, overly mushy but damn has it won me over.

29: Gruff Rhys - Seeking New Gods

It's rare that I make an end of year list without Gruff Rhys appearing in some capacity & this year is no different. I must admit, when the singles dropped for this I wasn't too impressed, but its one of those records where those tracks make perfect sense on the LP. Not much to say really, it's Gruff carrying on with his life long psychedelic pop quest & god bless him, though please can we get one more SFA record someday please.

28: The Courettes - Back in Mono

Imagine The Raveonettes "Pretty In Black" Phil Spector love-in, but if they were into Billy Childish rather than the Jesus & Mary Chain & you have the sound of the latest Courettes LP. At 14 tracks its probably a little overlong for what it is, though when they get it right it's glorious fun. Includes the greatest song ever written about Ringo Star.

27: Nick Cave & Warren Ellis - Carnage

It's Warren & Nick, of course it was gonna be good, Though at the same time, it definitely does feel like a side-project. I can't imagine returning to this very often in the future, but that's down to the sheer amount of great records Nick has released over the years. Still, even if it does feel like the pair of them somewhat in second gear its still completely worthwhile. I'm hoping when The Bad Seeds return they make a big of noise again.

26: Sven Wunder - Natura morta

Swedish guy obsessed with 60s/70s library music/Morricone soundtracks. This whole thing feels like a lost soundtrack to some Italian erotic thriller from 1971. Lots of flutes, Cellos, electric pianos, harpsichords & horns as well as some cool drum patterns. As a fan of that era/style of cinema I'm a total sucker for this kinda easy listening gets slightly funky stuff. I mean, it's so authentic that if someone cut this music onto an obscure 70s film I wouldn't have been able to tell.

25: XR - XR

Side project of Xanthe Waite (of cult heroes Terry & Primo!) & Raven Mahon (of Grass Widow) recorded during lockdown. It's a short blast of restrained indie-pop/post punk with drum machines & some synths thrown in. Got no attention due to it being just thrown on bandcamp, not even sure if it's on Spotify. Enjoyed this a bunch on its release in June, yet had kinda forgotten about it. Revisiting it towards the end of the year I was a little taken back by how much I really dig this. Anything Terry members touch is like gold to me.

24: Jarvis Cocker - Chansons d'ennui

After years of being a mostly lazy sod, Jarvis is having an interesting couple of years. Here he takes on a bunch of Chanson classics & it ends up being way better than it has any right to be. Iggy Pop attempted the same thing a few years ago and got somewhat unfairly crucified for it. Though his record had dire artwork and didn't have the tie in with the new Wes Anderson movie. This IS a much better record though, the production is really wonderful. Epic like it needs to be & whilst I've little clue what Jarvis is crooning over he seems to be having a great time with this material. There's enough variety on here to keep things ticking along. Something I had little expectation for but ended up really enjoying.

23: LUMP - Animal

I did quite enjoy the first Lump record, it had its moments but felt exactly as described, a side project. This time around Laura & the bloke from Tunng have made a fully realised LP. Musically the compositions are more ambitious and fuller sounding & Laura's melody's/lyrics seem much stronger this time around. Really surprised how much I ended up this, Laura Marling can do no wrong right now, she's on a hell of a run.

22: Damu the Fudgemunk - Conversation Piece

Cheers to Titch for bringing this record up on the soapbox, I didn't even know it existed. I've checked out a few projects from Damu in the past & really dug what I've heard. Last years collaboration with Archie Shepp & Raw Poetic was high on my end of year list. This however is the first time I've heard a solo Damu record & it's pretty banging. The British library music label KPM gave Damu access to their archives & he's dug out some fascinating samples here. That combined with his old school flow & some FAT boom bap beats... it's tailor made for my taste. Outdated perhaps, but this is what I look for in hip hop. The first half is flawless... my only complaint being that the "Four Better or Worse" parts 1-4 that see out the record don't hit the same as what came before it. 

21: Djinn - Transmission

Members of Goat & Swedish space-rock group Hills come together for this psychedelic free-meets-spiritual jazz record. Really big spacey sound on this one, intense & though it does sound improvised it feels controlled & grounded when it needs to be. Lots of whaling saxaphone playing, hypnotic drums & keys which loop around and around. There's also a couple of epic droney ambient tracks that have a real euphoric feel to them. Very cool record, I'd imagine Acid Mothers Temple making this if they was more into jazz than rock.

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EP's

01: Pozi - Typing

02: Maria Uzor - Innocence and Worldliness

03: Yard Act - Dark Days

04: Cub Scout Bowling Pins - Heaven Beats Iowa

05: Billy Nomates - Emergency Telephone

06: Wombo - Keesh Mountain

07: Nuha Ruby Ra - How to Move

08: Lynks - Smash Hits, Vol. 2

09: MESH - Mesh

10: The Lounge Society - Silk for the Starving

It was a good singalong with the hits, I've seen them do countless better gigs, even countless better gigs at Brixton Academy tbh.

They must have saved their best performance for Norwich.

20: Squid - New Long Leg

One of my most anticipated record of the year. I loved the earlier singles/EP's so expectations were stupidly high with this. I ended up a little disappointed, don't get me wrong, it's a bloody good record with some insanely good highlights. But at the same time I find there to be some real pacing issues on here. I'm fine with them dragging songs out, getting experimental and having interludes, but as a whole LP start to finish it just never flows as well as it probably should. Had I not seen Squid perform live a bunch over the past few years & this was some random band I'd discovered then this record would probably be higher on my list, but expectations can be a bitch sometimes. Still, excited to see where they go next, they're a hell of a band.

19: Sleaford Mods - Spare Ribs

Andrew's beats are progressing a little, becoming a little more complex with a fuller danceable sound, but Spare Ribs is still Sleaford Mods doing their thing. I think perhaps the sound is wearing thin with some, though perhaps where I jumped on board a little late I'm still fine with it. Though at the same time, I feel like they are a unique enough band that I'd be happy for them to never change too much & just keep doing their thing. I can definitely feel a backlash critically & from the average fan when they become tired (just a 2.6 on RYM), but at the same time I'm convinced that in 30 years time people will have a much higher opinion of this bands output. Still, I look forward to when nobody cares & they have to play shitholes in front of 200 people.

18: Wild Billy Childish & CTMF - Where the Wild Purple Iris Grows

Fresh from his Bob Dylan obsession last year, Billy Childish returns back to what he does best.. nasty, distorted balls to the wall garage-rock. As he has often done, he revisits numbers he has cut with other bands in the past, here he takes on "Come Into My Life" in blistering fashion. There's nothing here to win new fans, but to think after all these years & all those records Billy still sounds as angry & nasty as ever. Also, the fact I have dug deep trying to find some exciting garage-rock this year only to be almost always disappointed, he's still the absolute king. Except no imitations, Billy Childish is still the most authentic of them all.

17: Adrian Younge, Ali Shaheed Muhammad & Gary Bartz - Jazz is Dead 006

The Jazz is dead project from Adrian Younge & Ali Shaheed Muhammad has had its hits & misses for sure, but 006 with Jazz great Gary Bartz for me is one of the best in the series. Younge & Muhammad are doing pretty much what they've done on most the releases but its Bartz alto sax playing that really brings this to life. Where as other entries into the series feel like exercises in trying to recreate the sound of whatever guest they have in the studio, this feels like a proper collaboration that touches on the past whilst sounding quite modern too. At 27 minutes its one of the short releases of the year that I wish was actually a lot longer.

16: Hello Whirled - No Victories

One of my big discoveries of the year. I've still not even scratched the surface with the Hello Whirled back catalogue, though this was the record released shortly after I made the discovery & remains my favourite that I've heard so far. So many ideas & different styles thrown into 17 tracks, it doesn't always land for me but I appreciate how much is going on. When it does land, fucking hell do I love it. Contains two of my absolute favourite numbers of the year in I'll Hold the Mirror & Mrs Matter... the kind of tracks that I'll throw on with my favourite indie-rock numbers by the likes of Teenage Fanclub, Pixies & GBV. Just absolute joyous bangers.

15: Spread Joy - Spread Joy

Shouty post-punk from Chicago. They smash their way through ten fast & furious slabs of post-punk in just 14 minutes. The songs do all sound very similar, yet it flys by so fast you never have time to tire of any of the tracks. Simple, to the point & completely addictive. Pretty sure I read that they wrote and recorded the songs within a few days, it sounds like it too, but in the best possible way. 

14: Ryley Walker - Course in Fable

My favourite Ryley Walker since Primrose Green. One of those records where upon first listen you know you're listening to something a bit special. Something I can put on and kinda just let sweep over me and get lost in. Great playing, nice production that suits the material perfectly. 

13: Lady Blackbird - Black Acid Soul

Lady Blackbird, the moniker of L.A Jazz vocalist Marley Munroe. This is a stunning debut, piano led jazzy ballads in the style of the likes of Nina Simone & Billie Holiday. It sounds completely timeless. The arrangements are often rather minimal, led by piano & have a real atmospheric feel to them that suit Munroe's vocals a treat. She just brings so much emotion out of these vocals, they're often as haunting as they're beautiful. One to stick on late at night in the dark & just take in, it's a stunner.

12: Black Midi - Cavalcade

No other band offers the kind of unpredictability in their approach that Black Midi are managing right now. They've been a godsend during covid with their socially distant gigs offering something unique every single time. Having said that, with both records the material has always come across better live. This time around the gap is even bigger. I can' t remember if the KEXP session dropped before or after the albums release but once I had heard that, the recorded versions would always feel inferior. Since then they've got even better live too, some of these versions feel sluggish to my ears now. Having said that, this is still a fucking fine record. I mean, if I hadn't heard or seen them live then it'd probably be a lot higher on my list. The quieter/slower moments really stand out as highlights for me, whether it's because that's the material they've performed live less I'm not sure. I guess they're just guilty of being the best live band on earth right now. There's nobody else like them, a complete one-off. Viva black Midi

11: Courtney Barnett - Things Take Time, Take Time

I fucking love Courtney Barnett, to the point that even when she perhaps isn't firing on all cylinders I'm still completely sold on it. This is a much more introspective version of Courtney, I have to wonder if working with Kurt Vile has influenced how she's approached writing, The songs she dropped as singles didn't really excite me, but hearing them in the context of the record it makes perfect sense. I can get how people might want more of the big jangly tunes or the more rockier numbers so could feel short-changed here. But at the same time I appreciate this downbeat, bittersweet & less-is-more approach to the song-writing. I kinda hope she doesn't continue making records in this style, though at the same time I'm glad she's made a record like this. I doubt I'll be returning to this as often as I do her first two records, but she's evolved her sound a little without losing what made her special in the first place. I'm kinda surprised I've placed this so high as I totally understand why most people were underwhelmed, I'm just a fanboi when it comes to her. Its music tailor made for me.

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Old records I've discovered:

Not a huge list but here are the notable ones I've fell in love with.

My Bloody Valentine - Sunny Sundae Smile (1987)

An EP... and I'd heard it before in the past. However I connected with it this year, noise pop perfection. So undervalued by their fans. Yeah they went on to define a genre & make something truly unique, but fuck me, stick those songs on... pure joy. 


Herbie Hancock - Maiden Voyage (1966)

Very different feel to the other Hancock material i've heard, instantly connected with it.



Fela Anikulapo Kuti & Africa 70 - Ikoyi Blindness (1976)

you can't go wrong with 70s Fela, this one had escaped me until now. Perfection.



Freddie Hubbard - Keep Your Soul Together (1974)

fiiiiine jazz-funk record. The cover amuses me too. 


Swamp Dogg - Total Destruction to Your Mind (1970)

I knew of swamp dogg and had him down as more of a blues/R&B kinda guy. And this record is that.. but its soulful as fuck. Proper badass shit. And again, the cover amuses me.



The Temptations - Psychedelic Shack (1970)

Temptations of course have great singles, but I never had them down as a great album band. as the title suggests, they get a bit psych whilst providing some funk bangers. Man, there's some incredible material on this, makes you feel good to be alive. Need to explore more of those soul groups that jumped on the psych bandwagon.



Ultravox! - Ha! Ha! Ha! (1977)

Ultravox's second record, pre Midge Ure. Just fucking fantastic new-wave/post-punk. Every song is a winner. Need to hear more of their early stuff. 

Few surprises in there Karl. Firstly Squid being that low. I know you mentioned before you struggled with the album a bit but I still thought it would be higher. Also Courtney being so high surprised me.

10: Amaro Freitas - Sankofa

Another new artist to me. Brazilian post-bop driven by Amaro's piano playing. Piano led jazz usually isn't what I gravitate towards but this just fucking nails it. Really simple set up, just piano bass & drums. It has a real modern feel to it, mostly due to the drumming which has all kind of uncommon time signatures which really keeps everything feeling slightly on edge. A real warm sound throughout, yet enough changes within the 3-piece to keep you hooked.

09: Genesis Owusu - Smiling with No Teeth

Born in Ghana but based in Australia, Genesis Owusu does an eclectic take on Neo soul that playfully jumps around different styles whilst packing a ton of ideas & influences into 53 minutes that absolutely fly by. It skips from being experimental to poppy as fuck from one track to the next, each idea bursting with energy & personality. One of the most ambitious debuts I've heard in some time. Got tickets for him next year, really curious to see how it comes across live & if he can continue to evolve what he's done here. 

08: DJ Format - Devil's Workshop

Really enjoyed DJ Format's work with Abdominal & Phill Most Chill in recent years, though had never heard any of his solo works. This really impressed me, instrumental hip-hop meets trip-hop with big fat beats, fuzzy guitars, flutes, lots of atmospheric sounds & dialogue clips woven within it. Feels like a soundtrack to a really fucked up psychological thriller from the 70s. Gives me that claustrophobic feeling you get from early Unkle or Burial. A great record to stick on headphones in the dark.

07: The Go! Team - Get Up Sequences Part One

I get it, most people don't care for The Go! Team anymore, well.. fuck most people! This band has given me so much joy over the years & Get Up Sequences for my money is the best record they've made since Proof of Youth in 07. It's the same old Go! Team & for me... that's absolutely fine. No other act on earth has ever quite sounded like them, so why should they reinvent the wheel when they're still churning out the goods? This record has been completely slept on by so many. I really hope they get to tour next year & perform some of this material live.

06: João Selva - Navegar

Some really fucking fantastic modern MPB. If you love artists like Gal Costa, Tom Ze, Jorge Ben & Milton Nascimento then this is definitely worth your time. Really nice breezy production that really suits the musical style. Vocal melodies are insanely addictive as well as the backing vocals. It's one of those records that if it been released in the early 70s people would still be raving about today. The drums & production have just enough modern flourishes to prevent this being an retro exercise & tbh when the songs are this wonderful I don't particularly care.

05: Dry Cleaning - New Long Leg

My favourite band in fucking years. It has been a real pleasure watching them grow from their humble beginnings when it felt like it was just me, Kevin & JP talking about how fucking good that first EP was to how quickly (despite lockdown) they've grown a fanbase. I even got up really early one morning to watch them make their debut on the Jimmy Fallon show. Usually the bands I get obsessive about go nowhere like Tramp Attack & Trap2 so this has been a joy to watch. I've spent most the year trying to convince JP that I've gone off them a bit but I'm not sure I ever will. As long as they don't change their sound too much I can see myself being obsessive about this band for years to come. Anyway, the debut... can I say a "slight" disappointment? This is due to it being literally the most excited I've been about an album since Heathen Chemistry. For me each release from the first EP, to the second, to this full length has had a SLIGHT drop in quality... but it's still fucking BANGING. There's definitely a couple of tracks on the second half which don't quite cut it for me, had this been another 6 track EP it'd be as good as anything they've done. Yet having said all that, I still fucking love it. I hope they make another half a dozen records that all sounds exactly the same cos I'm down for it.

Also... shit artwork!

04: Work, Money, Death - The Space in Which the Uncontrollable Unknown Resides, Can Be the Place From Which Creation Arises

I've been getting more & more into Jazz over the past few years, to the point where I think eventually it'll replace indie-rock/post-punk as my preferred style of music. This is another record found whilst scrolling through endless lists & charts on RYM. It's a spiritual jazz record, two tracks, "dusk" & "dawn" both which run around the 17 minute mark. One of those instances where within a minute of pressing play you know you're going to love the record. I must admit, I was fucking shocked to find out it was made by a bunch of ageing white blokes from Yorkshire. Not that it matters, but it isn't what I expected at all. Now, I've seen some reviews which have dismissed the record in a "someone's heard Pharoah Sanders" snotty way, and yes, whilst it definitely does owe a huge debt to him as well as legends such as Alice Contrane & Don Cherry it still deserves to be judged on its own merits. I don't like the opinion that if something has been done in the past then it is worthless. This is an outstanding record, the playing is absolutely flawless, it's such a joyous experience from start to finish & at only half an hour of material it never outstays its welcome. It's one of those cases where had this been made in the early 70s people would still be raving about it today. I don't particularly care that it was made in 2021, I'm just glad that it exists.

03: Matthew E. White & Lonnie Holley - Broken Mirror: A Selfie Reflection

This didn't seem to get any attention and has remained somewhat overlooked. I'd dipped into both artists back catalogues in the past & nothing has ever quite hit the spot, though I've kinda respected how they've carved their own paths. Holley coming across as a real outsider & White seemingly having a go at literally everything in recent years. It seems like a somewhat unlikely pairing, but it just works. White went into the studio with various musicians and basically channels something that sounds somewhere between Tago Mago & Bitches Brew. Once they were finished he contacted Holley & got him to add his unique brand of spoken word poetry. What drew me to Holley's work before was his vocal & peculiar delivery, yet musically his records never did anything for me. Here, its a match made in heaven. It's a monster of a record that is as much free-jazz as it is Krautrock, as much psych-rock as it is soulful. Matthew E. White released a solo record this year & I thought it was a bit naff, though I've gotta respect someone that takes this many chances. All the tracks have random composition numbers so I'm hoping we will see a sequel to this record as it seems like they recorded a bunch of material. One of the best produced records I heard this year, it sounds like a beast. Anyone wanting something a bit different & at times challenging should give this a go.

02: Anthony Joseph - The Rich Are Only Defeated When Running for Their Lives

I'd tried one of Joseph's records about five years ago & despite enjoying parts, it kinda passed me by. I found this whilst having one of my many digs around RYM's genre charts and decided to give it a go & instantly fell in love. Mixing political poetry with rhythmic, yet big hitting Jazz, it really packs a punch. Lyrically its fucking on point. "How long do you have to live in a place before you can call it home" whilst talking about the problems Immigrants have faced throughout history when arriving and settling in the UK. It's a powerful piece of work lyrically & then musically it's a force of nature. It gets a little avant-garde in spots, but it's still incredibly accessible & tuneful. Comes as no surprise that UK Jazz's greatest talent Shabaka Hutchings appears on here. Records like this are why I spend hours every week searching for new music, because every once in a while you'll just hear something that instantly floors you. An absolutely beautiful yet bittersweet listen. I saw it get a nice review from Pitchfork & I've not exactly looked deep into all the publications end of year lists, but I'd have to say this record has severely been slept on. With all the attention on British jazz in recent years.. this is probably my favourite of the lot.

01: Black Country, New Road - For the First Time

I saw BCNR a few times on Kevin's recommendation in 2019, and whilst their sets always had a few standout moments I really wasn't convinced I was going to love this band. But I kept seeing them and enjoying them more each time. Strangely whenever they released tracks from this LP I wasn't too arsed. I'd listen on youtube once, think it was alright then forget about it.  Then the album came out and as a complete piece it just felt so right. Six songs, all bloody essential. It's basically a live document of their early sets, which surprises me even more as I always found their early gigs kinda patchy. But it just works here. The production is spot on & there's enough going on with each track to keep me interested. Was really taken aback how much I loved this record when it came out as out of all the new TCOTU bands I've been into over the past few years these were the ones where I was probably least convinced of. It's a hell of a debut & one I've not tired of listening to at all. A genuine modern classic. I just hope that in 10 years time they've not turned into uber cunts & I have to cringe that I ever put them at #1 like everybody now has to do because they raved about those early Arcade Fire records!  Interesting, both my #1 & #2 records this year are six tracks in length.

BCNR? You cunt!

I was going to have them at #2 but then I pictured your face and had to!

I put my all into the list and all you and JP can do is complain

Had a feeling bcnr would be Karl's number one. Dry Cleaning at 5 is a shocker though. Get out!

You’ve not even realised the lack of Weller.

Haha. I didn't expect Fat Pop to make your list. Knew you were hit and miss on it like I was initially.

Sellout.

Just got round to properly reading your excellent lists Karl.


Are all ypour top 10 gigs this year British? I guess it would make sense with the pandemic.

It's funny how we called out differebt bits of the same album. I think that closing sequence of Damu's album put's a nice wrapper on what's gone before. It works as one piece rather than 4 and I kind of wish he'd made it one continuous track.


I really need to check out that Jarvis album- he sat so well in the soundtrack to French Dispatch and I didn't know he had a whole record.

The Work, Money, Death album sounds right up my street. That's getting downloaded now.

I tried both the Lady Blackbird and Genesis Owusu albums but neither caught my imagination first time round. In fact, I remember the Lady Blackbird annoying me for some reason! But I can't remember why. Need to listen to both again.

Oh, and Maiden Voyage is a bloody masterpiece!

I remember what it was about the Lady Blackbird album that bothered me.

At first I thought nice voice, timeless sound, songs a bit unoriginal and perhaps could've brought something a bit fresher to the table as it all sounds a bit familiar and then I got to Beware The Strange.

It's her 'cover' (in inverted commas as she basically just renamed it) of Wanted Dead or Alive by Voices of East Harlem, which is probably in my top 5 songs of all time.

She's lifted the lyrics verbatim and renamed it.

And then listening again, other passages in other songs sounded familiar.

Ruler of My Heart is essentially Pain in My Heart by Otis Redding.

And after a bit of digging it turns out 7 of the 10 tracks are 'covers'.

Here's the original of Wanted Dead or Alive. And what a sensational fucking song it is.