Submitted by ray_rad on
far be it from me to be a list-making fanboy
but fuck it - here's a list
the fifteen records i most enjoyed in 2021
in no particular order
though, if pushed, i'd probably put mirror II at the top of the list
Mirror II The Goon Sax
The Obvious I Ed Dowie
Heavy Elevator Hamish Hawk
Magic Mirror Pearl Charles
FDWOW Farmer Dave & the Wizards of the West
Candlepower Marina Allen
Until We Fossilize Marta Del Grandi
Island Of Noise Modern Nature
Earth Trip Rose City Band
I Would Not Live Always John Frances Flynn
The Avalanche Liz Lawrence
From Dreams To Dust The Felice Brothers
3 Mapache
Audit The Attendant (Pete Astor & friends)
Baxter's Bliss Papercuts
so go on then - tell me what i should really have been listening to
blackpumpkinhead replied on Permalink
I'll have to have a think but
I'll have to have a think but also love the Hamish Hawk and watched John Frances Flynn at EOTR who was excellent and totally shocked by a standing ovation which went on and on and on.Arab Strap would be on my list.
alittleotter replied on Permalink
For what it's worth, here's
For what it's worth, here's my 15
1.The Pink Stones-Introducing...
2.Esther Rose-How Many Times
3.Gruff Rhys-Seeking New God's
4.Aaron Frazer- Introducing...
5.Big Red Machine-How Long Do You Think It's Gonna Last?
6.Parquet Courts-Sympathy For Life
7.The Goon Sax- Mirror 11
8.Friends Of Our Youth- That Was Then
9.Painted Shrines-Heaven And Holy
10.Rose City Band-Earth Trip
11.Vincent Neil Emerson- Vincent Neil Emerson
12.Bonnie 'Prince' Billy and Matt Sweeney-Super Wolves
13.Dean Wareham-I Have Nothing To Say To The Mayor Of L.A.
14.Courtney Barnett-Things Take Time,Take Time
15.W.H.Lung-Vanities
a few things for me to check
a few things for me to check out there - thanks!
the dean wareham and painted shrine records were on my longlist - both are great
the courtney barnett i'm finding weirdly underwhelming
after that first record, the last two have struggled to compete
and, whisper it, but i just haven't really got on with the superwolves LP
there are great things on it - but i think my expectations were just so high, it couldn't live up to them
i still play 'superwolf' incessantly
but the new one is a bit meh
(unlike last year's BPB record - which was a massive return to form after the endless covers records)
alittleotter replied on Permalink
I hear what you are saying
I hear what you are saying about The Superwolves LP and strangely it was The Godsin Brothers cover-There Must Be a Someone that drew us in and now i'm hooked, but like you said, probably not as good as BPB last effort.
I think you'll enjoy The Pink Stones LP , well hopefully as it was something i just stumbled across and it totally hit home.
Hope you have a great Christmas, all the best.
jimbo g replied on Permalink
Thanks both for the lists,
Thanks both for the lists, lots for me to check out. I have some practical questions though, as to how you go about discovering and listening to enough new music to have fifteen (fifteen!) favourite albums of the year.
Do you listen to radio shows? Read newsletters? Follow hundreds of bands on Bandcamp? Attend 3 gigs per week? And do you write off an album after listening to a couple of tracks or do you stick with it for half a dozen full listens before deciding whether or not you like it? And after all that, do you still have time to listen to old music and possibly do some other activities such as eating or sleeping?
I'm genuinely interested to know how you manage it, because I only really listen to 6 Music and get email alerts from Bandcamp, and I feel like there's so much good music just passing me by.
Most of my discoveries come
Most of my discoveries come through listening to Adam Walton's brilliant Saturday evening programme on Radio Wales, the pages of Shindig magazine and Marc Riley and Gid Coe's 6 Music shows.
alittleotter replied on Permalink
PREVIEW COMMENT
alittleotter replied on Sat, 25/12/2021 - 9:51pm PERMALINK
HA HA , MY WIFE WILL TELL YOU
Ha ha , my wife will tell you that i listen to music every waking hour and sometimes i might appreciate a little silence, in fairness i probably do, i probably get my bulk of my recommendations from Uncut Magazine, six music, Paste and Stereogum online, Picadilly Records(Manchester) ,Normans Records(Leeds), friends and of course this very forum here.
My top 20
My top 20
1. The Wide, Wide River: James Yorkston and the Second Hand Orchestra
2. Henki: Richard Dawson and Circle
3. Badgers of Wymeswold: The Surfing Magazines
4. Birling Gap: Catenary Wires
5. Flat White Moon: Field Music
6. The Obvious: Ed Dowie
7. Quietly Blowing It: Hiss Golden Messenger
8. Dost 1: Derya Yildirim & Grup Imsek
9. Mas: Carwyn Ellis and Rio 18
10. If Words Were Flowers: Curtis Harding
11. Spare Ribs: Sleaford Mods
12. Melodi: Kit Sebastian
13. Wyndow: Wyndow
14. In the Shadow of the Common Place: Jim Ghedi
15. Seeking New Gods: Gruff Rhys
16. The Eternal Rocks Beneath: Katherine Priddy
17. Spencer Cullum’s Coin Collection
18. Superwolves: Matt Sweeney and Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy
19. Winter of Discontent: Knomad Spock
20. Ignorance: The Weather Station