Albums Of The Decade - 86. Junior Boys - Big Black Coat

86. JUNIOR BOYS - BIG BLACK COAT

Seldom do I get so vogue. But this is it. Sensitive synth-pop for the lovestruck bachelor. Junior Boys bust onto the scene in 2004 with Last Exit, dropped my fave LP so far by them in 2006 -  So This Is Goodbye, DJ'd out of a clothes shop in Reykjavik in 2008, released the uber-sensitive Begone Dull Care in 2009 and followed me around constantly in car-chases travelling at 20mph.

When they came up trumps in 2016 with Big Black Coat, from the cover I'd thought they had reinvented themselves, and they did in a detective-thriler kind of way, as less of the soft-spots are present hereon in.  There's the high-octane thrill of "What You Won't Do For Love," the brilliant seven minute techy closer of title track "Big Black Coat" and the beautiful career-high ballad of "No One's Business" to contend with - as they shot for multi-layered, techniclored, synthetic, noir-tastic diversity. AKA From Ontario with love (with shouts out to Berlin too) - (Er....better just stick with Big Black Coat  - editors note)

Albums of 2016 - 49. HOLY FUCK - CONGRATS

49. HOLY FUCK - CONGRATS

Canadian band that mess around menacingly with machines, often encompassing relentless assaults. That last sentence sounds alright the way I wrote it don't it? This act don't let you down in terms of sonic layers of energy and an album not to necessarily lose yourself in, but lose control of yourself in.

2016 may have been a shitty year for elections, referendums and deaths, but in terms of music releases, this may well be the best time in decades to reflect on and audio material like this would probably have made the Top 10 of this list in any other year.

I'm currently on sabbatical leave and the track "Sabbatics" is helping me groove through with Pinot Grigio. I'm supposed to be reading the last 50 pages of Murakami's epic 1Q84  but my gut told me it wants to be a bit wrenched after putting it through a 30 minute jog to go and buy said wine. Oh world, what have you done? 

When the world's going mad and your social media feed is full of friends called Todde going and getting tanked on a Friday night, you can't go wrong with a bit of Holy Fuck to help you plough through life.

Records of 2014 - 38. TOPS - Picture You Staring

38. - TOPS - PICTURE YOU STARING

Twee indie pop from Montreal. Considering that it comes straight after the murky work of The Bug on this list, it's a welcome invitation for tonight's listening. I've said before that many of the records on these lists flow on the ranking scale depending on my nights listening at the time. The top 20 or so are pretty much set but there's a lot of movement and I'm frequently caught pressing stop, play  and rewind - but never fast forward. This shit takes time. Let it flow.

Letting things flow or forcing the situation has been a big binary opposition that's been floating around my noggin lately. This is one for the former whereas The Bug rams open the safe. Comparison and contrast is what makes like beautiful and if anyone ever tells you to stop thinking too much, tell them to get born.

albums of 2012 - 31. Crystal Castles - Crystal Castles III

31. CRYSTAL CASTLES - CRYSTAL CASTLES III

I got into these guys only this year, which is essentially a late start, especially considering they've been knocking out albums since 2008. Nevertheless whatever CC did  before 2012 I had the utmost respect for as they are a heavyweight chiptune act that have certainly had more buzz made by the blogs than a busy little bumblebee making honey on a  honey farm. But still I needed to go a bit deeper.

Now, I like the ravey sound of Crystal Castles and they sound both dark and sweet. Some of the titles on this thing alone just stand up tall as dark and twisted and it's a pleasure and a half to see this band come into their own. In particular"Wrath of God," "Sad Eyes" and "Child I Will Hurt You" come on through as if you're just crying out for a vampire to bite into your neck. A late one this year, as only released in mid-November, but I've been all over it lately. A true contender.

BEST PLAYED: When wanting a love-bite on the dance-floor.

albums of 2012 - 39. Grimes - Grimes

39. GRIMES - GRIMES

Fashion. I usually detest the buzz, though maybe I get a kick off of it (“Off of” – Are you turning American? – Anglophile Ed) It sometimes feels good to get the blogs to discover things for you, especially if you’re the worker-man down the pit like me. Before I heard Grimes, I thought I’d hate her. She’s played on catwalks. She’s topping a lot of the end of year polls. Why do I write end of year polls? Well, it allows me a backward path for the future. I like to discover new things. I can go back and listen to a track like “Genesis” in the future and feel like it did when I heard it ; like fucking gold. I like to stay current, but I’m also afraid of a lot of new material. Especially in the current time when there could be a handful of albums every day to wade through. Fortunately though I had the time for Grimes, a lovelily produced album of electronic pop, Check her out.

BEST PLAYED: When you’re trying on some new clothes.