Spagheti Blogonese's Top Albums of 2021

SPAGHETTI BLOGONESE'S ALBUM CRUNCHES OF 2021!!!

 1. NALA SINEPHRO - SPACE 1.8 - Spacey jazz in the most capsuley way ever. These jazz suites were an incredible and incredulous rush of relief after a stagnating time which we don't have to reference. 

2. CASSANDRA JENKINS - AN OVERVIEW OF PHENOMENAL NATURE - Another record that's tantamount to healing, a trully hush-hushly sung/sang record that breathes in your fiery vitriol and breathes out                                                                             rainbows of wonder.

3.  THE WEATHER STATION - IGNORANCE - Completing a female podium; 2021 has been the year of the ladies for sure - beautifully sensitive, fully fleshed out narratives against global warming - often personified.

4. LOW - HEY WHAT - This band incredibly put feedback and reverb through decontrictive loops and reinvented their sound again with a divine pairing of couply vocals parched over smeltering piledriving riffs and white noise.

5.SUFJAN STEVENS & ANGELO DE AUSUSTINE - A BEGINNER'S MIND - Lovely fairytale-esque side to Sufjan. Seeming like he'll have a fair whack of classics in his musical career, well here's another

6. DRUG STORE ROMEOS - THE WORLD WITHIN OUR BEDROOMS - Dream pop. Angelic. Crystalline. They don't even have a Wikipedia page yet, unlike your local pharmacy or favorite Shakespeare love play.

7. MADLIB - SOUND ANCESTORS - Kicked off my 2021, fresh off the bat in a Hilton hotel devastated by the news that MF Doom had passed. This instrumental album from close friend producer Madlib, compliled by Four Tet, helped soften the blow.

8. BLACK COUNTRY, NEW ROAD - FOR THE FIRST TIME - This seven-piece crafted what will likely go down as one of the classic debuts. British indie at it's finest - but with brass, strings and woodwind. And unbelieveably, it's on Ninja Tune.

9. LOST GIRLS - MENNESKEKOLLETIVET - The audio equivalent of walking into a Berlin modern art installation. Jenny Hval documents an improvised take on the artistic process. I played this is at my friends place and they begged me to change artist - what more endorsement do you need?

10. JON HOPKINS - MUSIC FOR PSYCHEDELIC THERAPY - Really didn't imagine that this kind of output would make it onto here, but seriously this is the most gorgeous natural field recording ever made without being shoeboxed into the newage shoebox.

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Honorable mentions: 

Nick Cave & Warren Ellis, Floating Points, Ghetts, Genesis Owusu, Ducks Ltd, Emma-Jean Thackray, Leon Vynehall, Painted Shrines, Godspeed! You Black Emperor, Jack Ingram, Lana Del Rey, Still Corners, Greentea Peng, Cedric Burnside, Marianna Faithful, Lael Neale, Pino Palladino & Blake Mills, Cloud Nothings, Damien Jurado, Matt Sweeney & Will Oldham

Albums of the decade - 97. Deerhunter - Why Hasn't Everything Already Disappeared?

97. DEERHUNTER - WHY HASN'T EVERYTHING ALREADY DISAPPEARED?

Deerhunter have had a special place in my heart after 2008's stunning Microcastle. For them to penetrate the top 100, especially in 2019, speaks wonders of the fact that this is a band that always comes through.

I saw them live last in 2008, in Brighton, and they blew the house down in terms of playing, performing and piling on the quality. I don't remember any specific song but I remember the angular quality of the riffs, the molten lead of Bradford Cox's vocals and crimson lights flooding the stage. 

They're my epitome of intelligent rock and roll. This latest album is not only gonna be one of the best records of 2019, but will also sit with me as one of the band's greatest tokens. "Futurism" especially captures the vitality of effortless groove. I ran up the hill today and had it in my head even before I hit the play button. I had it on on the bus yesterday - yes I used a double "on" - and it will keep playing and burning in my thoughts. Playing me in, in flames.

Albums of 2016 - 45. TELEMAN - BRILLIANT SANITY

45. TELEMAN - BRILLIANT SANITY

An aptly named album, Teleman are a great little indie band from London who have supported Suede and Franz Ferdinand when playing on tour. Brilliant Sanity, their second album is a straight-up, eleven track delight, packed with very well thought out thrust.

Brilliant Sanity quite often bundles in feelings of binary opposition, for example the title track discusses the metaphor of losing everything in a house fire. The character discusses feeling bulletproof, while the the eerie production and driving guitar conversely reassures the listener.

Standout track Superglue similarly builds up momentum, this time with a staccato verses and then a smoothed-out chorus. There's something bang-on fantastic about Cockney indie with  bristle, vigour and insight.

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.

Records of 2014 - 43. The New Pornographers - Brill Bruisers

43. THE NEW  PORNOGRAPHERS - BRILL BRUISERS

A household name of a band. A superband. The longevity has spanned. AC, Neko, Dan, Kathryn, John, Todd and Blaine. It's on. Vancouver right? How you doing? You alright? I love your new album. you have a song called The Champions Of Red Wine and it's pretty colossal.
If you played a show in my head around Christmas, it'd be acesome.

If the reader were to scroll back guys, they'd see I say many times that this could be the album of the year. The reason it ain't is cuz this is pure sugarcane and when I write this I order the albums according to my mind. There's no flaws when you're so pumped on sugar. Jesus. It's ace.

albums of 2012 - 3. Tame Impala - Lonerism

3. TAME IMPALA - LONERISM

"I just don't know how to feel right / beautiful girls wasting my life" is tantamount to how this album sounds. It's so insecure and so confident at the same time. Tons of effects-pedals, feedback, punchy riffs and slow build-ups both-all. It's old and new. It's gonna shape-up as one of the best records of the decade. It reflects a lot of the things I think about - insecurity, women, hedonism - we're down.

People sometimes say "on a different day my list would be different" but I have had 2 years to digest 2012 now and I've made my mind up.  I know I flutter around like a hungry caterpillar but, hey, I'm sorry.

Tame Impala come from Australia and I'm ready for all their next glorious shit in holy technicolor all over again.

albums of 2012 - 4. Grizzly Bear - Shields

4. GRIZZLY BEAR - SHIELDS
 Album number 4 for 'the bear' and this songwriting got so refined that the richness and eloquence radiated everywhere. The sheer quality of playing here stands up to any band on the planet. At the time of writing, it's been a few months since I listened to this but closer "Sun In Your Eyes" is a perfect illustrator as to how some of the dusky parts can be manipulated later with glisten shining through.

New Yorl City has an extremely special place in my heart and bands like The National, The Strokes, TV on the Radio, Dirty Projectors and Grizzly Bear show how perhaps it has been the best city in the world for indie music over the last few years. Oh yeah, I shouldn't discount Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Man, grab this motherfucker - it's worth your time.

Albums of 2012 - 7. Dirty Projectors - Swing Lo Magellan

7. DIRTY PROJECTORS - SWING LO MAGELLAN

Albums that polarize opinion are cool in my book. I saw this band in Brighton in 2009 at the time of Bitte Orca and they blew my mind with the sheer bend on the guitar and the vocals of Amber and Haley. It's like when mermaids cry. Massively otherworldly.

David Longstreth is cool too. pPople will say it's his band but oh! you can hear! ideas! Others' ideas heres too. David, Amber and Haley, oh how I idolize you. What are you? You must be from NYC? Hey peeps! Classic songwrting with an avant-spin for a dickhead that wants something different.

Albums of 2012 - 15. Sun Kil Moon - Among the Leaves

15. SUN KIL MOON - AMONG THE LEAVES
Mark Kozelek used to be in Red House Painters, a folk band created in 1989. I know of the name but have never checked out their back catalogue. Instead I got into Kozelek a bit late, very late through his Sun Kil Moon project after stereogum.com praised this album.

This shit's lovely. It's a biggie of 17 songs and he sings about his cats, his old tours, England sucking, getting in through the door and having backache. It's a songwriters album about songwriting. When I listen to it, I smell the seasons. It's comforting without being dull, spellbinding without being fantastical. The instrumentation is stellar. Listen to it, he's a legend and not a bell-end.

Albums of 2012 - 24. Tindersticks - The Something Rain

24. TINDERSTICKS - THE SOMETHING RAIN

One legendary band follows another on this list. For those not in the know: (wiki:)

Musical style

Their sound is characterised by orchestral backing, lounge jazz, and soul; the orchestrations of multi-instrumentalist Dickon Hinchliffe (who left the band in 2006) and the baritone of lead vocalist Stuart A. Staples are the band's hallmarks.^[6] Tindersticks augment their instrumentation with Rhodes piano, glockenspiel, vibraphone, violin, trumpet, trombone, clarinet,bassoon, Hammond organ, and many more.

I saw Tindersticks in Reykjavik, 2008. That night was special. The instrumentation and the deep voice of the lead singer was comforting as the Icelandic air was starting to get cool in late September. My good friends were there and everyone, including myself was new to the band. But Tindersticks have this ability to warm you up and soothe. 

If you spin this ninth album of theirs, you'll hear that they open up with a funny, yet epic monologue in "Chocolate" and ends in a sweet twinkly instrumental of "Goodbye Joe," and sandwiched in-between are 7 sumptous tracks with well-written lyrics and that voice that for some reason reminds me of rubies. Just image association!

Albums of 2012. 25 - Spiritualized - Sweet Heart Sweet Light

25. SPIRITUALIZED - SWEET HEART, SWEET LIGHT

Excerpts from my review in April for the Halifax Collect blog.

"This is the seventh Spiritualized album and while Pierce hasn't exactly let us down or required a “return to form” tag - this is not a football team – the timelessness is back that maybe lacked on 2008's Songs in A&E...

...“Too Late” brought me to tears when I first listened, which is no mean feat. I am considering doing some push-ups soon and I had a burger for breakfast too; I'm not a pussy. The lyrics of making ones mind up about love, despite the danger really does conquer all...

...Pierce twice uses his 11 year old daughter to sing on the album and amidst all the swirls of the the drug-induced “Headin...” - it's extremely arresting, vivid and somehow warm despite the bleak subject matter

...THIS MAN IS NOT RELIGIOUS- but what's wrong with “Jesus be my automobile / Drive me to heaven...? ”Well, it is highly melodramatic but so is the final ditty where daughter Poppy duets with Jason “Take the long way home / past the scary Jesus” - it's bold, incredulous and amazing and even brings the banjo along. Who'd have thought it?

...No one is invincible, especially not Spiritualized. It matters noteth. Maybe this is a little rich, a little corny, a little sentimental, a little unabashed. It matters noteth. It has heart, personality and is made of all the right stuff.."

BEST PLAYED: When you want something uplifting.

Albums of 2012 - 28. Zammuto - Zammuto

28. ZAMMUTO - ZAMMUTO

Using the glee of Dan Deacon (featured elsewhere on this list) and the inevitable influences of parent band The Books, Nick Zammuto dropped a clever album of electronic sonic experiments where the music spaghetti's itself all over. Most of the vocals are through a vocoder and where The Books sampled a lot of obscure snippets, Zammuto makes them all himself.

This isn't the strangest album on this list, but it's not far-away. It's one of the most fun, but it possesses a depth that repeated listens reward. For example, the strings on "Idiom Wind" really  complement the curious vocalists musings "You're an educated man....you're an idiom babe."

No amount of listenings could dub this boring. I could see how someone could cite this as album of the year for its sheer originality, it's mentalist doodles and an exciting platform for further Zammuto outings. Also with song titles like "F U C-3PO" - you can't go wrong!

BEST PLAYED: When you want something with unexpected twists.

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.

albums of 2012 - 43. Blondes - Blondes

43. BLONDES - BLONDES

I  have a pig in my house. It goes oink and it dances to this. The pig likes to wear a blonde wig and dance to this impressive debut album from Brooklyn’s indie-house boys. The pig in my house can dance because I trained him and he’s quite the mover.  I sometimes stand it up and hold two trotters and try to twirl it but it’s too heavy. Never mind though.

This year has had some good electronic shit come through, from Nathan Fake to Blondes to John Talabot; we’re in good hands. The pig in my house is in good hands too as I want to dance with this pig for quite some time. Just wish it would stop wearing my blonde wigs!

BEST PLAYED: When you want to dance with a pig!

albums of 2012 - 44. Guided By Voices - Let's Go Eat The Factory

44. GUIDED BY VOICES – LET’S GO EAT THE FACTORY

At the top of the year this came out and it was a good start to 2012. A lot of sketches, some might argue, but I loved how Guided By Voices flit from idea to idea, often in under 2 minutes. They’ve got just under 20 albums in their back catalogue now; so fucking prolific since 1987. There’s much music to read about and discover nowadays and even though I saw these guys live in 2003, I’d honestly forgotten how exploratory they were. Well shame on me. I'm a mockery of a sham. This is hardly meat and potatoes rock. It’s a burst of styles and a kaleidoscope of a journey. It’s a timeless sounding rock album that could serve as a good introduction to their prior work. This doesn’t need to be daunting though. I know that I for one am going to delve into their old stuff with glee.

BEST PLAYED: When craving creativity from an often turgid indie rock horizon. 

Albums of of 2012 - 50. Django Django - Django Django

50 – DJANGO DJANGO – DJANGO DJANGO
 This one built up quite a bit of momentum over the year, as an early 2012 release meant for a steady increase in attention. It’s nice when a record doesn’t get overhyped right in the beginning and then spins around like a Kathryn Wheel when the British Mercury Music Prize winner is declared in November. Django Django derive from the Beta Band and share their penchant for confident and smooth vocal harmonies. However, where the Beta band used bongos and such, Django Django utilize a lot of electronic production and drum machines to make things cosmic. It’s a little bit showy without being too subterranean; it packs the grooves but hardly blows over in the wind. It’s the sound of some experienced musicians having a lot of fun. So with their Mercury nomination lately: it has boosted awareness twofold. It's more likely to put them on the map rather than have them,crash and burn. Full beams ahead.

 BEST PLAYED: For starting the day to get in a good mood.

Records of 2010 - 01- Beach House - Teen Dream

Records of 2010 - 01- Beach House - Teen Dream

This is pristine. I love this. I love a lot of things. What's a stronger word for love? Here we hear from my good friend Rob Cassell:"

"treat your ears to a little aural sex". Thanks Rob. Well, this album has cleared up in a lot of the end of year polls, maybe just behind Kanye West - he's not on here, I don't like his voice - but enough hyperbole about my scruffy friend Rob. Kanye West may populate the lists and this list acknowledges him. I have to clear it up that I think he's not worthy. He tries. A little too hard for my liking.

So, this list. What does it mean? It's so hard to choose anything. Is 41st better than 7th? I'm confused. I just tried to compare them. Mount Kimbie and Four Tet are both brilliant. Anyway, back to base, Beach House delivered to the nth degree with "Teen Dream" - 2008's excellent "Devotion" was like looking for treasure in a cave and with "Teen Dream" we've found it - full-bodied and glorious music.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIGvqxN--aY

Records of 2010 - 10. Everything Everything - Man Alive

Records of 2010 - 10. Everything Everything - Man Alive

The most underrated record this year. Pitchfork claimed: "Man Alive is jacked up with bizarre key changes, superfluous time-signature switches, electro noodling, and half-rap lyrics delivered in run-on melodies" giving it a 3.8 /10 in the process".

They felt it was a bit overcooked, a bit too full, overly rich. I disagree. I think it turns many corners, delivers a lot bizarre wit: "Who's gonna sit on your face when I'm gone?" asks the band on "Suffragette Suffragette." In terms of style, they are recollective of early Blur chippernes, mixed with the sparkling oddness of Wild Beasts. The production is stellar, the voice is stellar, this album is stellar. However, my writing is full of Spanish Rioja.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6udfNIzRUX0

Records of 2010 - 35. Archie Bronson Outfit - Coconut

Records of 2010 - 35. Archie Bronson Outfit - Coconut

Some random online sex-pest that calls himself "Jimmy Fuller" recommended this album to me whilst being really sleazy, telling me he was touching himself whilst he was listening to it. I instantly deleted him of corpse and hesitantly listened. What I heard was a nice blast of garage rock that has dancefloor disco tendencies, in a scuttle of distortion, like on the goddamnit excellent "Hoola." You know what? I would speak to Jimmy again if we was just your run-of the-mill stalker, but the fact that we was such a lusty wanker, means that our 5 minute "friendship" of asking age? / sex? / location ? is over forever. Maybe he thought sex meant sex. Shit. Lost cause.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZg8qY9rh20

Records of 2010 - 36. High Places - High Places Vs. Mankind

Records of 2010 - 36. High Places - High Places Vs. Mankind

Here are the facts (wikipedia!):

"Since its inception, High Places has created a signature sound out of using bass-heavy, yet crisp beats, lilting vocal melodies, syncopated rhythmic lines performed on folk percussion instruments, guitar duets turned into treated samples, and percussive lines created from the manipulation of household objects. The duo has an “exquisite corpse” style of songwriting where they exchange ideas back and forth, challenging one another’s expectations. The songwriting is expansive and fluid, all the while managing to be concise. Overall, the compositions are settled and assured. High Places gravitates toward the organic over the electronic, and that natural aesthetic adds warmth and intimacy to the recordings."

My opinion:

Eerie, experimental and excellent dream-pop.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CyeQeEq2sp8