This Year In Music - Part 4

 

Of course, not all albums have been mentioned in this short series, as they will probably appear in other end-of-year lists and deserve to. There were reasons why new albums by Nick Cave, Michael Head, Floating Points, Sprints, The Bug Club, Pye Corner Audio, Ducks Ltd. and Chelsea Wolf were not mentioned in the previous posts. But not because they are bad, but simply because they didn't fit into my concept.

But finally, just a few tracks that should not go unmentioned.

This Year In Music - Part 3

 

2024 was certainly a good year for music and I couldn't commit to a specific genre in this review. There were phases when I listened to a lot of new electronic music, only to return to indie rock in the broadest sense and then favor singer/songwriters again.

Bill Ryder-Jones, an English singer-songwriter from Liverpool, released an album this spring that captivates with its beauty. Excellent songs across the board, reminiscent of the psych-folk of Gorky's Welsh Zygotic Mynci on the one hand and featuring sweet melodies, melancholy piano and strange tempo changes on the other. The album will probably go down as another overlooked masterpiece.

Anyone who thought Dublin's Fontaines D.C. would lose their stature after their fourth album was wrong. Here, too, they manage to write great songs. They have moved away from their early days, their songs are more differentiated and gather more inspiration. In the end, it even sounds as if they have covered an early song by The Cure. A consistently good album that loses none of its fascination even after repeated listens.

Justin Robertson released a few weeks ago Moon 1, the debut of his new project Five Green Moons. He moved away from his house controls and has dug deep in the sounds of PIL, Gang of Four, On-U Sound and Sabres of Paradise. He takes us to a dystopian disco where we share memories of dark post-punk echos. 

Another album that stands out was the twelfth album by Kieran Hebden aka Four Tet Three. It touches on the many musical styles that he has already crossed before: Hip Hop, Down Beat, House. In the intro to ‘Skater’, my favorite number from ‘Three’, you can hear the rolling, drowned out by a looped guitar that meets synths reminiscent of 80's film soundtracks and voices somewhere far in the background, more echoes than vocals.

More songs next time.

This Year In Music - Part 2

 

This year also saw the return of old heroes after many years as well as new material from well-known and respected artists. 

I was most surprised that The Cure were able to pull themselves together again and release a new album. To be honest, I didn't expect much from the album other than the old dish of flabby songs being reheated. However, it was not to be expected that they would present their best album since Disintegration and show that they are more than just a cover band of themselves. No one expresses world-weariness better than Robert Smith.

Matt Johnson has also taken almost a quarter of a century to release new material. His music still defies categorization. Somewhere between art rock and new wave, his perfectly produced songs are carried by his voice. The sound sounds like it did back then, but it is in tune with the times. An album not just for nostalgics.

Barry Adamson's new album has been playing on my record player since the summer because, after his time with the Bad Seeds, he has once again managed to capture his other musical influences from soul and blues in remarkable songs. Whether it's funk or a bluesy groove, everything is present on this album and where others lose themselves in the mainstream, he shows his true greatness.

Maybe it's my age that I've been listening to more (old) soul music this year, but it's music that felt good when I heard it. The only new soul music that sticks in my mind this year is Michael Kiwanuka. Sure, he likes to drift off into soul-pop realms, but he still shows great respect for his role model Marvin Gaye. A cleverly conceived album that once again lives from Kiwanuka's voice.

Songs:

Hermanos Gutiérrez are two brothers from Switzerland with Equatorian roots. They released an almost instrumental album that could be a soundtrack for a spaghetti western. Calm and beautiful.

Not only this song by Kurangbin is worth to listen.

Orville Peck and Beck made one of the coolest country-soul songs this year.

This Year in Music - Part 1

 

The year is drawing to a close and, like many others, I too have been reviewing the year in musical terms. In previous years, I have tried to compile lists of the best albums and songs. I abandoned this plan because I found it difficult to summarise the releases in a table. That's why I'm going to summarise the most interesting and perhaps best albums and songs for me in columns over the next few days. 

Enough preamble. 

One of the most impressive albums of this year for me was >>>> by Beak>. After Geoff Barrow left Portishead, he teamed up with Bobby Fuller to try out new forms of arrangement. Since then, they have regularly released albums with a progressive mixture of hypnotic electronics and drone-like rockism. An album for the head with deep roots in krautrock, somewhere between Neu! and Can. The opener already shows the direction. A church organ plays for a minute before synths and Liebezeit-like drums kick in. Incredibly good and a top-class album.

Craven Faults are another band that doesn't stick to classic song structures. They describe their music as background music for long walks through the north of England. All songs have a strong hypnotic and meditative touch that carries you far away and is unique in this form.

 

Johnathan Donahue aka Mercury Rev takes a similar, albeit completely different, direction with Born Horses. For years, he has been creating extraordinary highlights with his song structures. You can only love or hate his music, as he arranges his songs with a lot of strings and horns - right up to the edge of kitsch. On the other hand, he always manages to strike a sentimental chord, as he does with Ancient Love.

Since a couple of years Irish DJ and producer Mike Wilson releases superb music. The main thing is Balearic but with a lot of influences by classic music, psychedelia and house. His Shine A Light, which has nothing in common with the Rolling Stones is a belter.

10Mark Cooper and Bob Miles, both DJ's and masterminds and founders of Solid Gold/Agent Cooper are Bedford Falls Players a new but innovative project in electronic music. During the last months they released a couple of new songs in an electronic style and all of them were above the average. Cosmic Cascade is their latest release and a highlight of new electronic music. A steady rhythm with bleebs, electronic improvisations and a bit of hypnotic sounds, leading into a brighter future.0 Poems · Shine A Light (Ft Hyson Green)

Like I said back in May: Mark Cooper and Bob Miles, both DJ's and masterminds and founders of Solid Gold/Agent Cooper are Bedford Falls Players a new but innovative project in electronic music. During the last months they released a couple of new songs in an electronic style and all of them were above the average. Cosmic Cascade is their latest release and a highlight of new electronic music. A steady rhythm with bleebs, electronic improvisations and a bit of hypnotic sounds, leading into a brighter future.

The Woodentops are still alive and from time to time they release some new stuff. Most of them are worth to make a great rework like Coyote did this year.

Flammende Herzen

 

Today is the last day before I leave for my annual holiday to Sri Lanka tomorrow. Most of my things are packed, the documents are ready and my Spotify library has been updated. The last album I've added is Michael Rother's 1977 debut, a krautrock classic on which Rother shows what he's capable of on the guitar. Jaki Liebezeit supported him on drums and Conny Plank produced it superbly. All the songs are played instrumentally and I will probably never get tired of their beauty.

I have prepared a few more posts, otherwise I'll see you here again in the middle of next year. 

Take care and all the best.

Michael Rother - Flammende Herzen

Michael Rother - Zeni

Monday's Long Song

 

Afrobeat was a musical style I discovered in the early eighties when a friend recommended an album vy Fela Kuti. I was enthusiastic about the music right from the start, as it also sounded very different from the music I was used to. Many elements of jazz as well as driving and hypnotic rhythms were the trademark and Kuti was their leader. Reason enough to give him some space in this series. 

Fela Kuti - Sorrow Tears And Blood

New Song On Sunday

 

If the press is to be believed, the next big thing is coming from south London. Fat Dog is the project of Johnny Hutchinson, who likes to perform in latex masks and makes a chaotic mixture of electro-punk, rock ‘n’ roll and industrial pop. 

He is not afraid to incorporate borrowings from Bicep, Kamasi Washington and Depeche Mode into a song. Certainly not the future of rock, but energetic songs that fit the times and who knows, maybe the song will help end the wars around us.