Albums of the Decade - 60. Cut Copy - Zonoscope (2011)

60. CUT COPY - ZONOSCOPE (2011) 

Top of the decade in Taipei - felt liberated - this was my soundtrack. Pitchfork described it as a landscape of a record - and they weren't wrong, especially with all the percussion on here - it's an urbanity of session musicians and synths. Their album before this, the magnificent In Ghost Colours came in at #15 on Spaghetti Blogonese - a great achievement for a stellar offering.

They sound a lot like New Order actually and I think they should sing this poem I wrote:

This was just an experiment in the kitchen going wrong
I am not gonna go and buy a new oven glove
I just got some pizza out the oven 
Not with my bare hands
I took it with a towel
And it was okay anyway

I know that I can't sing now
I know my rhythm's pretty good
I thought I'd sing to you
I'm shit at typing - you know I am - would?!?
I don't know why my grammar's bad
I'm a native English speaker
Gonna just rhyme with you anyway
Gonna try and rhyme something with speaker - "beaker"
I got a beaker full of tea
Gonna go and drink it now
You're a fucking cousin
That's the way i'm proud now - uh!

Albums of 2016 - 47. SHEARWATER - JETPLANE AND OXBOW

47. SHEARWATER - JETPLANE AND OXBOW

A band that had an "island trilogy" between 2006 and 2010, Shearwater had always sat with me as their name suggests, uncontaminated and concerned with sanctity. Not anymore, what we have here is a quasi-electronic throwback to late 70's that smacks of Fleetwood Mac and is politically righteous at times in all the best possible ways.

"Quiet Americans" is the prime example of this. A synthy-anthem of gargantuan irony. On the side it's making me want to go out tonight. It is pre-game dynamite and is fuelled by the chorus:

"Where are the Americans?.........The only sound... The only light........only only!"

The above is only a snippet. The first four lines also have that chilling, penultimate doom that has been absent in a lot of the bands recent work.

"I can't help it if all the world is ending.
All the life is gone while you're calling out this name.
Where are the Americans?"

And ultimately the best thing the band have ever written is on this LP, "Backchannels" is the natural side to Shearwater and gives the album the refrain that gives the album all the proportions of balance and glory that come when you care.

albums of 2012 - 5. Perfume Genius - Put Your Back N 2 It

5. PERFUME GENIUS - PUT YOUR BACK N 2 IT 

Doing the annual visit back to the UK always yields interesting opportunities and for me, in 2012, I grabbed the chance to see this band live with both hands. What resulted was one of the tenderest performances I have ever seen. The voice is tender and wobbly and times, but soars at others.

The closest point of comparison I can give for Seattle's Perfume Genius would be Bright Eyes or Phil Collins - there is a certainly an 80's feel to this sophomore outing- but all in all, it seems that Mike Hadreas and his boyfriend managed to lay down they own ethereal concoction that evolved the sound and the overall quality. Perfume genius; it's impossible to forget the name and the music for shizzle, though the name of the album title is somewhat misleading, especially when this is music for softies!!!

albums of 2012 - 32. Wild Nothing - Nocturne

32. WILD NOTHING – NOCTURNE

Hard to approach this one. Shoegaze and 80’s and indie revival. Whatever I guess.  Genres are hard to talk about, especially when you don’t know much. I started blogging about music when I was 16 and I don’t want to stop now. This shit continues until I dies or go crazies.

Anyway, I’m supposed to be good at this! This is a good one. It’s a dreamy kind of album. It’s Wild Nothing’s second and it’s another opus. It’s mega focused. It could be higher up on the list for sure. There’s been so much quality this year. In my opinion it’s the best year for music since 2001.

Think great vocals, feel-good-malarkey and a trunk load of goodness. “Only Heather” at  Track 5 provides the peak and following up is “This Chain Won’t Break” making the best filling of a sandwich since a ploughmans. I like a ploughmans. What’s your favorite sandwich filling?

BEST PLAYED: When you want an 80’s blast.