eops Albums of the year 2011

2011 was supposed to be my ‘year of the blog’ but unfortunately after three or so entries I found myself suddenly out of a day job, redundant. This left me a little panic stricken for a while but luckily for me I managed to find a new venture after a couple months. The major casualty was this blog, which suddenly got pushed onto the back burner – apologies if you were hugely disappointed by this dreadful turn of events. However despite not being able to find the time to write about music I still found plenty of time to listen to all manner of great sounds. An end of year list seems the perfect way to get back on the horse.

Sit back and hum the Top of the Pops theme music to yourself (if you are old enough to remember what that was) and I shall run through my top ten.

Number 10:
Field Music – Looping state of mind (Kompact Records)
One of the things I like most about listening to ‘Dance’ music is its uncanny ability to teleport the user through time. Well-constructed dance music lives in the present, it holds you in stasis from the beginning and then in the blink of an ear it’s gone. It’s like getting drunk on public transport you can remember getting on board, have a hazy recollection of looking out of a kaleidoscopic window seat and then all of a sudden you are somewhere else, normally with selective amnesia and a bit of dry mouth. Sometimes you need to make a journey twice just to work out how the hell you got there the first time.

This tortured simile is actually a perfect fit for the luxurious audio contained on the The Fields ‘Looping state of Mind’. Its all about the constant motion of the journey. I love the contradictory feelings induced by this simple and perfectly judged production. The albums’ relentless repetition is counterbalanced perfectly by the feeling that the music is constantly evolving and slowly transporting to you through time. No matter how many times I have listened to it I always feel slightly surprised to have reached the end so suddenly.

This is great music to do things to, play it on the autobahn, stick it on in the gym, set it playing before you tackle that mound of washing up and you will be done before you know it.

Number 9:
White Hills – HP 1 (Thrill Jockey Records)
White Hills – HP1 also has the power to transport you through time, it’s another sweeping soundscape that melds together each track in turn, but this isn’t a valium fueled flight of smoothness, oh no. HP1 is more akin to being force fed a fistful of Ketamine and being bungled into the back of a blacked out camper van.

I love an epic slab of post rock noise but aside from the big hitters like Godspeed, Mogwai and Explosions in the Sky I often find myself being pushed into a ‘Prog–rock’ heavy corner by ambitious sound-scapers. It’s a fine balance you see, I want epic, I want experimentation but I balk at cleverness for its own sake and get itchy if I hear a guitar solo onerously endearing its instrument into overcomplicated fret wankery. White Hills manage to side step these pitfalls by keeping things brutally simple. This is a noise more closely inspired by Sabbath at their heaviest rather than Hawkwind at their dopiest.

If you have a penchant for sweeping psychedelic rock but abhor pomposity then White Hills is the CD for you. Just like The Field album you will find yourself surprised when the music stops, unlike The Field’s soft focus techno ride however White Hills will throw you out on the roadside dazed and confused with a number of unexplained bruises.

Number 8:
Total Control – Henge Beat (Fuse Group Austrailia)

The name ‘Total Control’ might suggest a tightly controlled collection of highly polished tunes but the reality testifies to the contrary. Total Control were spawned in Melbourne Austrailia and peddle a mix of willful punk attitude, synthesizer abuse and a hint of reverence for some of alternative rocks unsung heroes.

The sound is riotous from the off, calamitous arrangements hint at Suicide, Loop and the Pop Group but the sheer momentum of the album ensures that this never becomes a naval gazing homage to groups of yore. The style chops and changes with every track, its rowdy, thoughtful, reticent and petulant. I cant claim to know a great deal about these antipodean mentalists but I found it one of the most vital releases of the year. Get it while you can – I cant believe a group capable of this level of racket will stay together long.

Number 7:
John Maus – We must become pitiless censors of ourselves (Upset the Rhythm)
One of the most unexpected treats of the year comes in the form of John Maus and his uniquely dark take on the purest of electro pop sensibilities. This is the sound of one man and his synthesizer singing earnest pop songs through the looking glass.

The best way to get your head around the John Maus sound is to imagine a newly resurrected Ian Curtis from Joy division suddenly jumping ship to record a concept LP with the Pet Shop Boys. Gloomy, booming vocals sit uneasily over vintage arpeggio synth lines that garnish the well-crafted melodies perfectly.

The subject matter is almost teenage in its gloominess but the overall effect is irresistible. Call it what you want; Pet Shop Division? Joy Shop Boys? It really doesn’t really matter when the music is limber enough to sate your weakness for pure pop and still manage to satisfy your inner Goth. If that description piques your interest then I strongly advise you to play the sublime ‘Copkiller’ several times in a darkened room – it’s a bona fide grower this LP.

Number 6:
Kate Bush – 50 Words for Snow (Fish People Records)
Of all the music on this list ’50 words’ is by far the easiest to hate. Just read the signs; It’s a concept album by a 50 year old woman, it features two tracks that last over ten minutes, the production is polished to within a seven inch of its life and it’s pretentious enough to feature a song about having sex with a snowman.

If that resume hasn’t caused one eyebrow to launch upwards in the style of Roger Moore then consider the fact that I am yet to mention the guest appearances which feature a choir boy, Stephen Fry spitting lyrics about frozen water and Elton John in full frontal ballad mode.

Of course this peculiar mélange of ingredients all point at the fact that this is an album of singular vision. Kate Bush is a past master; she is a superstar back after years in the wilderness on her own label and her own terms. There is an unflinching belief behind this collection of ice-cold melodies, Kate knows what she is doing. She knows when she is being pretentious and really doesn’t care if you buy it or not. Despite feeling a little sheepish initially I have to say I buy it totally.

Even the duet with Elton John rings true, he may not have the power in his voice that youth once afforded him but this performance is the most honest and emotional performance he has mustered in the last twenty years. If you can step back and let the album envelope you without prejudice its actually a high point.

Kate is well aware how much she asks of the listener and it’s a relief towards the end when you hear her playing with the world she created. Whilst Stephen Fry lists out the promised ’50 words’ you can hear Kate singing ‘Come on man you got 44 to go’ in the background. Self aware, confident, inventive its no accident that every female singer gets compared unfavourably with Kate Bush, she is the last of her breed – a truly unique artist.

Number 5:
The Horrors – Skying (XL Records)
The biggest problem with this release is the bands previous effort ‘Primary Colours’. It was undoubtedly their magnum opus and it seemed to take everyone by surprise, the very best way for a record to make maximum impact. Just a few years back The Horrors were a badly told joke band held together by Silverkrin and crimping. Then all of the sudden under the direction of video mogul Chris Cunningham they started ripping up trees planted by the likes of My Bloody Valentine and your big brothers Can collection.

How do you follow a career spike with such an acute incline? Well in truth you would be hard pressed to do any better than create an LP as accomplished as Skying undoubtedly is. Of course this time everyone was waiting for it, the ambush was set up months in advance and long range sniping began even before the record got pressed. Many people started lining up to put The Horrors back in their coffin shaped box but to listen to the nah-sayers really does music no service.

Skying is marvelous, the drop on ‘Endless Blue’ alone makes it worthy of purchase. The Horrors are a band at their peak; great songs and great haircuts – what else do you want from rock and roll?

Number 4:
True Widow – A.H.A.T.H.H.A.F.T.C.T.T.C.O.T.E. (Kemado Records)

For some time now a lot of the most interesting new music has be spawned in the murky waters of Heavy Metal where artists are free to experiment with non commercialism without question. The upshot of that has been a plethora of genres with oblique names and surprising success. Stoner/Doom Metal marries leaden riffs with super heavy production values and has produced a stream of fascinating acts from Sun 0))) to Om and Nadja. True Widow never quite fall into that metal edged category but there is something of the night about their doomy indie plodding.

A point of convergence seems to have been reached with True widows emo tinged indie take on Stoner sensibilities. Initially you wonder if the record is playing at the right speed, then you wonder whether it was intentional to mix the vocals that far back and then inevitably you get drawn in to this chasm of sound.

True Widow forge a post modern take on the likes of shoe gaze darlings Slowdive and add in extreme heaviness and glacial pacing. It’s a joy to behold.

Number 3:
Wild Beasts – Smother (Domino Records)
This could and possibly should have been crowned record of the year, it such an odd piece of work. It’s a truly awkward record that somehow manages to perplex and engage the listener simultaneously. You really have to give credit to their record label Domino for spotting their potential and having the iron balls required to back them to the hilt. Its easy for a label like Domino to pick up the likes of Franz Ferdinand with their shout along lyrics and razor sharp suits but Wild beasts are a completely different kettle of fish.

In fact (and I don’t say this lightly), Wild Beasts remind me of The Smiths. Not in the way that say, fans of the Arctic Monkeys might lay claim too, no they don’t sound like them but they do feel like them. They are a truly awkward proposition, falsetto howls swimming in melody and sexually ambiguous lyrics combine to make you feel dizzy and curious in the same way that Messer’s Morrissey and Marr did many years ago. Perhaps most excitingly Wild Beasts (unlike The Smiths) are not tied to traditional song structure, they revel in liquid song arrangements and seem happy to flirt with synthesizers.

Smother is a great piece of work and I can only wonder expectantly at what they might conjure up next.

Number 2:
SBTRKT – SBTRKT (Young Turks)

When you buy a lot of music (as I do) the purchases that give you the most rewarding feelings are the ones that surprise and challenge your preconceptions. This year SBTRKT delivered just that.

Like a lot of people my age I came at Dubstep with the glassy eyed stare of a raver, it was the growling bass and post hardcore atmosphere that attracted me but its important to remember Dubstep came from the silkie smooth sounds of UK Garage just as much as it did from anything resembling ‘Dub’ or ‘Hardcore’.

I rarely ‘bump’ and seldom ‘grind’ in the proverbial sense. I loathe the super slick sex obsessed slime of R&B, in fact I find most vocal Garage a bit too much for my dirt loving ears. The clubs I like are the spit and sawdust variety not the fashion obsessed bring your own bling nights. On first listen I worried that SBTRKT might just bring me out in hives, how wrong I was though.

The reason why SBTRKT could be forgiven for this smooth sensibility is simple:
Songs. The boy has proper songs in his arsenal. Couple this revelation to some of the snappiest production out there and you have an album that transcends both scenes. The subject matter is varied and has a lyrical honesty, perfectly judged instrumental tracks add structure to the whole experience and whilst there are moments of serious introspection I find the overall experience of listening to this uplifting – a trick that many a poe faced indie band could learn from.

I played this record a lot this summer; it’s the thinking persons get ready to go out music.

Number 1:
Metronomy – The English Riviera (Because Music)
The main reason this takes the number one spot is that it’s the catchiest collection of tunes I can remember hearing in years. Seriously if there were an award for ‘ear worm’ of the year the shortlist would feature the entire tracklist of this CD. Many is the night I lay awake with insomnia with fragment of this record echoing around my head. It’s the crack cocaine of indie pop.

The English Riviera marries the brevity of classic pop music with a beautifully drawn concept album. Its production is at once stark, minimal, warm and endearing. It’s intimate, enticing and enigmatic like the best blind date you never had. There are no grandstand moments in this album. No ‘big drops’ or ‘searing solos’. No the amazing thing about this album is that the songs are allowed to do all the work without distractions. It may come on like a softy but once it digs its ‘hooks’ into you it will take over the stereo in your brain and never leave.

I played this record so much I actually had to force myself to stop before I went loopy. Not often I say that. Record of the year.

Any more for any more?
I have to mention the sterling work done by Wonky maestro Rustie, his purple pillion passenger Joker (who almost delivered what he promised, but not quite).

Zomby and his 4AD debut ‘Dedication’. Africa Hi-Tech, Martyn and Thundercats also made some great electronica.

Moon duo and Wooden Shjips continued essentially making the same (excellent) record, Radiohead continue to support new artists and new ways of working in a dying industry. British Sea Power are still writing excellent intelligent music and Valhalla Dancehall was a great addition to their CV.

Any other business:
Gil Scott Heron and Jamie XX – ‘We’re new here’ was a much better album than I thought initially – I think I was expecting too much at the time.

RIP Gil, Jamie gave you a fitting epitaph in the end.

Whilst I still loathe the fierce honking of Florence and the Machine Im going to stop slating her. You know why? Because she is one of the very few female stars out there who doesn’t spend every minute of every song telling the listener that she is ready ‘for anything’ ‘to go there’ ‘to take it up the wrong un’ …

Girls need role models in pop who aren’t validating their existence through the medium of sexist fantasies.

Spotify is evil. Forget the terrible payback that the artists get, that’s a side issue. No the real trouble is that its fostering a generation of people who think that they never need buy any music ever again. Its much more insidious than radio ever was. I’ve heard people saying it allows them to try out lots of stuff before they buy something but as you get more and more into it Id wager you are buying less. You shouldn’t really have the right to try everything in the store before you shell out for one item. Music needs to work as a business for the sake of the artists making it. Also Spotify parties are lame, give me a DJ who cares and plays something I DON’T know.

Happy New Year!

eops