Albums of the decade - 99. James Yorkston - The Cellardyke Recording and Wassailing Society

99. JAMES YORKSTON -  THE CELLARDYKE RECORDING AND WASSAILING SOCIETY

Next on my pick list is this by James Yorkston from Scotland, who has been omnipresent and understated for the last 10 years around these parts - I've scrolled down and around on Spaghetti Blogonese and seen some sloppy late-night red wine posts, enthusing about his folkmanship and I can't guarantee that there won't not be a bit of nonsense repeated in the gloaming. 

Keeping it real for now though, after a chilled Sunday recuperating with some Adrian Younge, I sank into this full hour of lavish folk after coming back from the Vilnius International Film Festival, and felt a strong sense of teapots and folklore. As The Guardian said of this record in 2014 "James Yorkston fans get their money's worth: dense with dialogue and spanning 16 tracks, the folk songwriter's eighth album feels like an hour with old friends."

Yorkston's bassist Doogie Paul tragically died of cancer in 2012 and the song "Broken Wave (Blues for Doogie") is one of the most beautiful songs written this decade, maybe ever. I have to fill the right side of my blog up with hashtags in a minute, to try and get some more exposure and readers - but James Yorkston feels like the least worthy of hashtaggery in this 100. You know me though - I'll plough it through nevertheless. 

Albums of the decade - 100. Adrian Younge - Something About April II

100. ADRIAN YOUNGE - SOMETHING ABOUT APRIL II

I originally thought that this was a soundtrack to a film, but instead was thankful to discover that the record was a sequel to the producers original debut in this series. The vibe here in this room, right now, is that I'm waiting on roast cauliflower, onions and garlic to come out of the oven. I also threw half a bag of peas into a carrot soup - but it's hardly as exploratory as what Younge was doing in 2016. I'm just going to go and stir the peas and then I'll write the second paragraph.

This list is intended as a diary through the last ten years, and where I'm at now. I'm not so bothered about rankings as I used to be - but still it's good to have some vertebrae, Whatever follows this album at #99 - it doesn't mean I like it more than #100 - Adrian Younge has driven my mood today and it's nice to pull this soulful treasure out of the crypts.

I think he did something else with Ghostface Killah a few years ago, so it may make sense to give that a listen, as when Tony is rapping over this wholesome kind of sampling, it sets the day alight. Without a rapper though, Younge still called in some cats like Bilal and Laetitia Sadler from Stereolab and while there are not vocals on every track - it adds some kind of glue.

One of my best friends has just MOVED the place I'm living, so after a Friday blowout - Saturday was actually a day of being in my own kind of crypt, despite spring starting afresh. After today's jog and the upcoming veg however - there couldn't be a better album to play to signal renewal, even if the second song on this is called "Winter Is Here". Oops.