2020
2019
OK, one more – until I remember better (or don’t), the album of the year was Better Oblivion Community Center…
Year End
I used to do year end lists in another lifetime.
The only thing I have to say this year is this is the best song of the year:
And yes, I know this is a song for old people about being old. But my daughter also loves it…
Out West
Love $$$
I’m showing my age with this one, but whenever it comes on I’m likely to listen to it 20x.
Still Relevant
For Brian Haw
This song by the XX Teens came up on random today, and I couldn’t find the spoken-word section by Brian Haw anywhere online.
I wrote it down. It feels like it should be somewhere.
good afternoon
i came here nearly six and a half years ago, second of June 2001.
i came here because i discovered what my country was doing to the children,
the children of iraq, the children of the world.
it’s called infanticide, genocide, torture, looting of nations.
bloody mess,
and I’m responsible.
see I happened to be born in Britain in a place called Woodford, Essex,
and my country’s doing this,
and I came because I couldn’t live with it,
because as a dad who loves his kids,
and this lady, this wonderful lady, who is the mother of my children,
i was taught a lot of good things in this country
and I was taught about fairness at my mother’s knee.
we know what’s right!
we have to stand up and do and be what’s right, don’t we?
I do, you do, each one of us does.
I’m an old man now of 58, I’ve been quite a few places,
and I’ve been a seaman, I’ve been an engineer, I’ve been a builder.
I used to make fine furniture,
done quite a few different things.
I’ve probably sat where you sat, I’ve probably done your work.
I probably understand you.
And you, with your experience and your knowledge, use it to know and say what’s right.
You are you, and I’m me, and we’re each individuals aren’t we?
And I talk too bloody much,
so it’s over to you now, what are you doing to do about it?
Ok?
Thank you.
Best of 2012
It’s been a fairly eventful year for me, so quite late.
That said, of 144 albums I bought last year, 89 were released in 2012, and it took a while to parse them all. I’ll say that it was a really strong year overall. There’s so much music being put out that it’s hard to keep up, but that’s a good problem to have.
My top 10 albums of 2012:
Japandroids (Celebration Rock) – Never any doubt about this. Simply the strongest pop punk album in many years. Starts and ends with (literal) fireworks because it’s a celebration.
Cloud Nothings (Attack on Memory) – A close second. Way more angsty, but no less driving.
Perfume Genius (Put Your Back N 2 It) – It’s rare that I find myself thinking that a song could be longer, but that’s exactly the case with a lot of these. I want more, but they’re just quick explorations of a melody or concept and then on to the next.
Allo, Darlin’ (Europe) – I admit I fought this a little. So… twee. But also so catchy, there’s no escaping it.
The Men (Open Your Heart) – Part of a trend of trainwreck noise that I cannot encourage enough.
Place to Bury Strangers (Worship) – Signed to a pedal company, you do the math.
Dinosaur Jr. (I Bet on Sky) – A good Dinosaur Jr. record. That’s enough for me.
Purity Ring (Shrines) – I know it was inescapable all summer, but there’s something about the fresh (to me) sound that I really enjoy.
Two Gallants (The Bloom and the Blight) – two piece cowpunk, nothing of a departure from their earlier stuff, because if there’s nothing broken…
Diiv (Oshin) – dreamy with a frantic Galaxie 500 feel to it. Argue with that.
Injustice
Reptile is many times better than Under the Milky Way.
(Posting this here to make sure I remember how to do it. It’s obviously a mis-placed tweet.)
Revisiting 2011
As promised, I want to slightly amend my Best of 2011 list. I’ve actually been meaning to do this for months, so please don’t judge me on the fact that it’s nearly 2013.
- Youth Lagoon – I seriously could not stop listening to this in January / February. It’s a damned quirky record, but genuinely beautiful and when it rocks it gets the job done. In an era when a lot of bands just push play in order to perform, the live show’s also surprisingly worth seeing given the few instruments involved.
- The Rural Alberta Advantage – I’ll admit to being initially upset that the new album wasn’t like Hometowns, but the fact is that I don’t think anything will ever capture the fun and excitement of experiencing this band for the first times. Those drums and the vocals / lyrics were enough to always bring a smile to my face, but the new album just didn’t grab me the same way. I forgot that it’s not important that it doesn’t have the same effect, ultimately it’s a good album with songs that stand on their own.
It’s too late to put them into any sort of order, so I won’t try.