Albums of the Decade - 28. Nick Cave - Push The Sky Away (2013)

 28. NICK CAVE - PUSH THE SKY AWAY (2013) 

I've been on a huge Nick Cave trip lately, since his amazing live album that was released last week, at the time of publishing. Idiot Prayer is just him alone at a piano at Alexandra Palace in London and it's the most affecting live piece that I've ever heard.

Push The Sky Away however, is a mellower reckoning, an ode to Brighton on the South coast of England, best encapsulated by the glistening tracks "Wide Lovely Eyes" and " Water's Edge" - and glancing through Wikipedia just now, it seems that various reviewers mention the fogginess, tenderness, funeral-pace, hollowness and rumbling bass-lines to name but a few characteristics.

When the majority of talk is often about the full-bodiedness of The Bad Seeds' swampy characteristics and nooks and crannies, fucking cracks and crevices - I am fully on board - but it's a bit like when PJ Harvey's White Chalk came in at #54 in the decade prior on this blog - I have a moonward boon towards musicians that distill their infuences into chill pills, and for all the blues and heavy bass - I'll rest at this pace. Come again.

Albums of 2016 - 34. WHITNEY - LIGHT UPON THE LAKE

34. WHITNEY - LIGHT UPON THE LAKE 

A great summer jaunt. This debut recalls The Byrds. I could just leave the review at that but Jimmy Fuller, the bands biggest fan, would probably sue me. Better to say that here are 10 tracks of absolute radiance, brass, singalongs, blues, vintage jams - critics will no doubt say it's perfect for Urban Outfitters - I agree. Great.

When it's as hot as it is in Taipei in the summertime, you need a cold shower and some summer anthems and of course a few albums of this list qualify as said cooler. This one packs it in half an hour though, so it's best played in two sittings. Hahahahahaha. You're really cool and funny.

Overall, Light Upon The Lake is a great start and what remains now is the hope that Whitney can make some classics and not fall victims to pressure and hype. Not that Spaghetti Blogonese  is ever ever ever ever ever ever gonna y'know c'mon.........LOLZ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Albums of 2012 - 23. Jack White - Blunderbuss

23. JACK WHITE - BLUNDERBUSS

The man who burst onto the scene around 15 years ago, had an illustrious career with The White Stripes, declared that there should be no cars on the road, played on "is she his wife or his sister?" ambiguity with Meg White; Jack White has it all - the blues, the raw talent and some classic, enigmatic WTF.

This LP utilizes everything that came before it - a belter of a six disc discography with the Stripes and cumulated in a lovely blues offering. Less spectacle than before, meaning less pressure. The brakes were off, but the instrumentation and songwriting was even richer and graceful. Can't really stammer "one to watch" but White looks set for a glistening solo career after this debut solo outing. :)

Albums of 2012 - 49. Mark Lanegan Band - Blues Funeral

49. MARK LANEGAN BAND –  BLUES FUNERAL

This guy has been one of my favorite vocalists for god knows how long. He’s younger than me; he’s 48 and it sounds like he’s drank a centaloun of whiskey and coughed up a fromage of cigars. He’s the master of noir-blues and this one here has got a shade load of soul again. He doesn’t disappoint. I’m liking it when he just sings and his production is distant in some of these tracks whereas in others like the disco-oriented “Ode to Dad Disco” it’s turned right up. I’d hardly call this experimental though, it’s more another unshakeable effort from a voice that’s both damaged and comforting.  It’s perfect for rainy weather. It started my year off with a dirty warmth and comes back full loop as Taipei pisses it down again outside near December. Cheers Lanegan to your whiskey tears!

BEST PLAYED: At midnight when it's pissing it down outside.

Records of 2010 - 48. Jack Rose - Luck in the Valley

Records of 2010 - 48. Jack Rose - Luck in the Valley

Jack Rose passed away in December 2009, aged only 38 and this, his posthumous release is one of his best albums. I feel uncomfortable writing an obituary for a man I know little about, so I will leave that to Dusted Magazine's Michael Crumsho. But in terms of genre, think acoustic guitar, raga folk, quirky americana and a whole lotta fingerpicking!

"I never knew Rose, but a lot of my friends did, and what became immediately apparent in the days following his death was that the world didn’t lose a great guitarist as much as it did an absolute force of humanity. It’s unfortunate that those who became fans of his music lost someone so blindingly creative and talented, but even more so that those whose lives he touched in a deeply personal way lost a friend. It’s undoubtedly a small consolation, but at least records like Luck in the Valley will endure for years to come, reminding us all of what Jack Rose was able to accomplish in an all-too-brief tenure on this hot and salty planet. ---Michael Crumsho, Dusted Magazine, February 2010---

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ebfqO33rZzA