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Prelude to Ecstasy - The Last Dinner Party
It’s a little too early in the year to be talking about best album of 2024… but this is the benchmark by which all else will be judged! Gjuha in to Sinner is an astoundingly good track transition.
Take Me To Church (by Hozier) - Harvard Veritones A Cappella
I’m a massive fan of acapella and the HArvard Veritones are world class. There is so much power and grit in this version.
A HUGE sound from a single synth - and it does indeed have Dune vibes.
Ellen’s poetry adds a weight that I didn’t think was possible to add to this already heavy song. Beautiful.
The lyric “I’m a supercharged supersonic freshly poured gin and tonic” sums up the vibe of this song and video!
This song rocks and I’d forgotten how good it was until a clip of Elton John saying how much he loved Metallica popped up in my feed.
Études No. 6 & 5 by Philip Glass - Timo Andres
The comment says “move over Bach, here comes Philip Glass” and it’s so true - these two pieces are stunning and Timo plays them blindingly well. The whole Philip Glass Études album with Jacopo Salvatori at the helm is a work of art - complexity sounding at points like something you’d need to programme a synth to play. I love Book 1 - 1, 2, 6 and Book 2 - 17, 18
Nuclear Kittens (ça devient chaud) - Pomplamoose
You might remember the somewhat frenetic short… and the finished track delivers! (With a smidge less intensity)
I know that Labour is the big deal track, but I am also loving the choral and glitch sounds of My Mind (Now).
Montagnard People - Kate Von Schleicher
Sublime… and I love the sax/brass too.
Don’t Go Puttin Wishes in My Head - TORRES
Collect and Are You Sleepwalking? are fab tracks but this really gets me.
Primo Emosfera - Allesandro Cortini
It truly saddens me that this album has fewer than 10k plays through on Spotify - the armospheres that it creates are immersive and the opening track’s drone makes me feel all buzzy inside. Prima, Terza and Sesta are my tips.
The breaks in this song are fantastic… and the way it glitches out with saturated noise at the end is great production.
Are You Awake? - Lauren Mayberry
The piano, the loopy strings and Lauren’s voice blend so nicely. Way different from the rest of the tracks from the album so far. But we need more of the glitchy synthy arp at the end - love it!
Can you imagine what the sound in the carpark must have been like?! Goosbumps!
Vault City - Fruits of the Forest Triple Stacked Breakfast Waffle and DDF Imperial Stout
Tempest Brewing Co. - The Old Parochial, Mexicake and their bourbon barrel-aged All The Leaves Are Brown)
and shout out to Mikkeller, Omnipollo, To Øl whose beers have always been stunning (and Beavertown for their consistency and artwork).
A song that I could listen to on repeat forever - gorgeous arrangement.
No Thank You For The Music - Frank Turner
Bees shouldn’t waste their time telling flies that honey tastes better than shit!
Cloud Inversions - LOOK MUM NO COMPUTER
Starting 2024 with a new and glorious direction. The EP (on Dropbox and YouTube) is atmospheric and magically musical.
I wish I had the energy of Bob Boilen. He’s just retired. He’s 70. He invented the Tiny Desk Concert for NPR. And now he’s busting out more of his own music and this new track is crazy good.
One of their best yet. STILL gutted that I didn’t make it to the Glasgow gig (because of covid fear)
This song is a grower… and then Margaret Qualley (Jack’s wife) dances in a gorgeous video that adds layers to the whole thing. (Also, this song about Margaret is pretty lush)
Lamb And The Lion - The Mae Shi
Throwback to 15 years ago - as I said then “so much song packed in to a little space”. I’d totally forgotten about the band and the track. Listening to their album (having never heard any of their other stuff) was a revalation.
Sounds Like Moths - Amon Tobin
A classmate gave me a mix CD with a bunch of random tracks in 2004-ish with two artists that stood out - Amon Tobin and greypetcat, I have no idea what happened to greypetcat but Amon Tobin has gone from strength to strength. This track is fantastic.
That sigh/huff at 2:52!
I love the contrast of the beat+synths against the vocals on this.
First gig of the year coming up - can’t wait! (Also love Weekend Lover and will never be able to get enough of any version of Wanting What I Can’t Have).
Love it when the bass and drums kick in.
May Your Vanquished Be Saved from the Bondage of their Sins (Robert Hampson Remix) - Earth
Turns out that I’m a massive fan of ambient drone metal. Soundtrack of January. I have listened to this so many times over.
Important messages to hear - go read the comments.
The Tiny Desk concert is the perfect combo of classical, dance and electronica.
Powerful vocals and tight drums, guitar & bass.
Tremelo surf French pop - ooh la la!
Brand New Colony - The Beths & Pickle Darling
Gorgeous cover - adds texture to a much-played track.
As the comment says, SubPop have the best artists.
The Arcade Fure vibe is strong on this one!
Here’s my annual round-up of my year in music, films and books. Let me know if you’ve got some suggestions of things that I missed! It’s been a whirlwind of a year, not helped by spending too much of the final month feeling rubbish. You can forage through my past here: 2009 // 2012 // 2013 // 2014 // 2017 // 2018 // 2019 // 2020 // 2021 // 2022 // 2023
I’ve tried so hard to listen to new sounds this year and not just have the same old stuff on repeat… I’ve blogged a little list every month and it’s been a lot of fun. Check them out: January // February // March // April // May // June // July // August // September // October // November // December
The standout tracks/bands/albums are:
Bleachers - Modern Girl is a gem of a track and Live At Radio City Music Hall album is one of the best live albums ever made
The Ballroom Thieves - Bees: the line “I once read that I should write something that’s worth reading, or I should do something that’s worth writing about” is a mantra to live by
The Cat Empire - Owl and Thunder Rumbles - always great to have good new material from a band that I’ve loved for so long
Akusmi - Fleeting Future - lush!
The Arcadian Wild - Dopamine - delivers exactly what it says in the title!
Boygenius - the supergroup that 2023 needed
Lawrence - I’m Confident That I’m Insecure is yet another song that they perform as if it’s a classic that’s been on the playlist since the 70s
Brownbear - solid album
Mélanie Laurent - En t’attendant - sometimes finding something old for the first time just transports you back in time - this has such a strong Damien Rice fingerprint that I was right back in 2002 when “O” came out
Måneskin - RUSH! is a full-on album and their Glasto set was epic
Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem - whilst not being a Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, Trent and Atticus can do no wrong
The 1975 - Being Funny in a Foreign Language - Jack Antonoff’s production shines and defines this album
The National - First Two Pages of Frankenstein - some gorgeous tunes on here
Daði Freyr - Whole Again - what should have been an almost throwaway moment from Eurovision was, to me, the sound of the night!
More of the same this year:
99% Invisible
This American Life
Darknet Diaries
And some new ones:
60 Songs That Explain The 90s - this podcast should be required listening - always hilarious, beautifully worded and something that I could listen to all day.
Page One The Writer’s Podcast - much love for this, always great to hear writers talking about their craft
City Of The Rails - seems like a messed up family situation but awesome research into the culture of the railroad
The Coldest Case In Laramie - not the greatest podcast but some great investigatory work
Beauisms - backstage insight from Beau Miles talking about his videos
The Last Soviet - not quite made it through this one but the subject is fascinating
And a festive favourite, Neil Gaiman reading all of The Christmas Carol from Dickens’ own prompt book
Ghosts - both the US version and the original are fantastic. Top thing to watch this year.
Dark (Season 1) - I was a bit late to the game on this and absolutely loved season 1, all the right elements of mystery, deceit, other-worldly and scenic.
The Inside Man - two absolute legends brought together in a way that I just hadn’t anticipated - well done Steven Moffat for bringing together David Tennant and Stanley Tucci… and well done to Dolly Wells who outacted David and Stanley!
Obliterated - whilst I’m aware that this series is rude, crude, silly and throwaway, it caught me whilst I was poorly and it was exactly what I needed.
The Greatest Woodworker (2023) - I love that this series exists - it’s the perfect Bake-Off-format show
Totally Killer - an 80s time travel slasher from Prime shouldn’t have been this good!
Foundation (Seasons 1 and 2) - honestly not as good as the budget should have dictated but they did do a good of capturing a very complex timeline
Only Murders In The Building (Season 3) - Not as good as 2 but still a hoot.
Race Across The World (Series 3) - such a shame about one pair of contestants but a good overall show
Kleo - so much to love about this dark, funny, Cold War assassin
The Night Agent - for the most-watched show of the year it wasn’t amazing but it was definitely in the top 10 shows of my year
Despite loving movies more than TV, I’ve watched fewer movies than I’d have liked this year. But I have watched some gems:
Triangle of Sadness - this is the movie that stayed with me longest after leaving the cinema - it was so many different things and for something so surreal was also so believable
Everything Everywhere All At Once - hilarious, touching, action-packed
Barbie - went for the kid’s birthday and despite not being the target audience I loved it
Knives Out, The Glass Onion - not a patch on the first one but still twisty and entertaining
The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent - I hadn’t really appreciated just how much talent the guy has until I saw the bar scene!
There’s Nothing Out There - a super low-budget pre-Scream movie that’s right there taking the piss out of itself in a hilarious late-80s/early-90s way
But I’m A Cheerleader - always great to watch a cult movie for the first time
Super Mario Bros (2023) - Not a top 5 movie of the year but it had some wonderful moments and didn’t disappoint
Freaky - another throwaway horror that worked well
Tenet - I remember missing a cinema trip to see Tenet in favour of a nice sunny evening walk and a pint… While I don’t regret the decision it would be nice to see this on a big screen!
These films are all fab and I’d watch every one again today, no explanation needed:
Elf
Inglorious Basterds
The Hunt For Red October
The World’s End
I tried to be as discerning as possible but some bombs snuck in. Almost all are sequels, I note.
The Equalizer 2 - didn’t do anything that the first one didn’t do better
Wonder Woman 1984 - great concept but that’s as far as it went
Extraction 2 - see above
Fantastic Beasts: Crimes of Grindelwald - the gradual demise of the Potterverse
Independence Day: Resurgence - no point in this film
Long Way Up - truly jumped the shark when they made this… unquestionably why people with fame and fortune need someone to ground them in reality
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 - nostalgia with not enough work on the script
Uncharted - so stupid
Super Mario Bros (1993) - I hadn’t ever watched this all the way through… it’s a rough watch!
Chicken Run 2 - the first one was 100x better than the sequel
Rob Wilkins - Terry Pratchett, A Life With Footnotes (The Official Biography): funny, sad, poignant, subtle… such a great read and a fitting tribute to Sir Terry.
Iain M Banks - Player of Games: I could have sworn that I’d already read this… turns out it was a gem that had passed me by.
Lucie Bryon - Thieves: the kid bought this and I read it too - fantastic!
Russell Davies - Do Interesting: A brilliant book and some great techniques about being/staying interesting. More ways to collect and share more things.
Lara Maiklem - A Field Guide to Larking: I found a weird metallic rounded stone, goose barnacles and a brass bearing system on beaches this year so it’s been a good year learning from Lara!
Dan Richards - Outpost: filling a little of the gap I have from missing out on travel.
Hank Green - An Absolutely Remarkable Thing: some moments in this book were pure genius and the interplay between the characters was very believable (in an unbelievable world).
Richard Osman - The Man Who Died Twice: Book 2 in the series and honestly loved this as much (maybe even more) than the first.
Donald S Murray - In a Veil of Mist: a great telling of the myths surrounding biological experiments on the west coast of Scotland.
Ben Aaronovitch - Rivers of London, Moon Over Soho and Whispers Underground: not amazing… but somehow gripping in a way that made me want to go and buy two more as I chased to see if there’s a resolution for one of the characters…
Railroad Ink - portable, fun, individual puzzles
Cartographers - like Railroad Ink but slightly more meddling with your opponents
Kolejka - queuing in communist Poland - very well done
CodeWords - much harder than it seems that it would be!
Carcassonne - always good fun, tricky techniques if you’ve not played for a while
Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza - we’ve played so many hours of this!
SushiGo - still a go-to
All the usuals - watching things via YouTube & Netflix, keeping the to-do list on the 2Do app, keeping the language learning going on Duolingo, always not getting lost using Google Maps, always messaging via WhatsApp, always listening to Spotify (especially now that it has audiobooks), emailing via Proton & Gmail. Huge usage of Google Drive and GitHub (and one Google Sheet+script that lets me post blog posts to GitHub Pages). Still using InoReader (RIP Google Reader).
Another year with only one gig (Inspiral Carpets) but I’ve already got tickets for a gig in 2024 so that’s a good start! Cannot wait.
Here are just a few of the places that brought joy to my year:
The Netherlands. From the beachcombing museum to the cycling infrastructure to the car museum to the trains, graffiti, stickering, galleries, other museums and just the whole European-ness of it all, it was exhilarating to have left the UK for a few days. I want more of this next year.
Achnasheen and especially time spent outside on beaches, time spent eating food from The Midge Bite, time spent on the water with Sheildaig Adventures, time spent in nature - gorgeous.
The Borders - so great, never overlooked and always great to spend time with family.
Ardnamurchan - an October break with beaches, whisky and cousin time.
Dundee & the V&A - love this building and a city that always pleases.
Walks to Wardie Bay with Oscar - who knew that taking a slightly naughty dog on walks would be so fun?
London - even in a kilt on the Tube in 40-degree heat. London is still an experience that I love every time. The canal just behind Kings Cross was a new discovery and one that I’ll keep on visiting.
Creative hobbies… maintaining the cabin, house and car most certainly aren’t hobbies (but I did a fair bit). I’ve done a little:
Writing… but not enough
Spoon carving… but not enough other woodwork
Built a standing desk space in the spare room and repainted our kitchen… but I’d like to do so much more next year!
Baking bread (every week or so)
Brewing mead, some plum brandy and a delicious batch of advocaat
Exercise in the forms of walking and swimming… but failing that just sitting in a sauna is bliss
Along with favourite makers Colin Furze (with his weightless machine and ongoing tunnel project), Laura Kampf (with her ongoing house project) and Look Mum No Computer (with his ongoing museum project) I’ve been fascinated by some new channels this year:
Jonny Smith and The Late Break Show - the barn-finds are pure gold (a perfect YouTube format) and, for a show about cars, it’s 99% about the people
Grind Hard Plumbing - the motorcycle build is insane-level machine-shop fabrication (I do wish they’d be slightly safer when they drive some of their rides though!)
How Ridiculous - so much awesome slow-mo action and silly Aussie banter
Lawrence - the docuseries was as good as any tour documentary (the documentary - and the band - deserve awards)
Cabaret - Rebecca Taylor & The Company & Orchestra of Cabaret
BBC Radio 2 hosts the current iteration of the London West End show Cabaret - Rebecca Lucy Taylor (aka Self Esteem) sounds astounding playing Sally Bowles. What a voice!
22,AM Outtakes and Sketches - Bon Iver
As far as I can read about this, it’s leaked not faked. It certainly sounds legit. And a couple of the tracks are worthy of release.
Soulful singing and gorgeous jangle on the guitars.
Driving Home for Halloween - Spector
Something about this makes me think it could have been on the album along with Mr Brightside.
Gutted that I missed a chance to see them live (they sound amazing). Massive fan of Checking Out as well.
THIS HERE AIN’T WATER - BIG SPECIAL
Some new punk with a duo with a focus on drums and vocals - strong sound.
Such a raw track. I love the power of it.
Think Of Us Kissing - Hamish Hawk
A grower of an album and a voice of a Scottish Neil Hannon.
Lyrics not safe for kids and maybe the shortest track I’ve listened to this year… silly but fun.
LOVING the autotune/autoharp effects on the album version of this. So very lush! And the live version is stunning. Goosebumps.
Retreat - Mr.B The Gentleman Rhymer
Some very wise and humorous words here on the pandemic and being introverted - and the brass section is very smooth.
The Killer - Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross
TENSE! Movie was about a 7 out of 10 - better than a lot of movies this year but really could have done with a counter-character.
Love this band for their name. This track is cool, and their live show sounds sweet.
There Is a Treasure - Jeffrey Martin
Such a tremendously sad and poignant song.
A monster sound with layers on layers.
Trouble of Mine - Angus Johnson
Loving the bleepy bloopy bass. Something To Be Done is a pretty swish track too.
He Earns Enough - Jenny Moore’s Mystic Business
Described as choral-punk, which is fantastic in itself, this tune is awesome and primal and simple and complex all at once.
An old/new skatepunk sound.
When the choir kicks in… ooh la!
i’m confident that i’m insecure - Lawrence
I wish I had a hundredth of the skill, confidence and humour that this pair of heroes are busting out right here! I’d not seen any of the other “landmark jams” so here’s 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and (this one) 7.
Pompeii MMXXIII - Bastille, Hans Zimmer
One to play on big speakers - such a massive sound.
Letter To Myself - Lottery Winners ft. Frank Turner
I love the concept of this album. And always great to see where Frank Turner turns up.
Warming (Mvt. 5) - Erland Cooper
If “lush shoegaze piano” is a genre, count me in!
The Sydney Opera House - what a building, what a history, what a song to remember it by. There’s nothing like a bit of a retrospective to change the views on an inauspicious start. One of the most iconic buildings in the world. And a nice tune.
Stop Talking (Bass and Vocals only) - Miya Folick
Sweet bass playing and an astounding vocal performance. Didn’t know who Miya was until this popped up - thanks algorithm gods!
Sometimes I forget that I was a massive Radiohead fan. Somehow this (cover) song by Thom passed me by. And it’s glorious.
Scottish indie at its finest.
Arpeggios On A Church Organ With An Arturia Keystep Pro - LOOK MUM NO COMPUTER
This is one of those little videos that hides so much genius. Sam wrote the song, sure, but he also founded the museum that the organ is located in… and painstakingly rebuilt the organ that it’s playing on. And this tune absolutely gives me goosebumps.
Changed Shapes - Lauren Mayberry
The band that Lauren is performing with sound really slick. The drummer especially has a distinctive style. “Shame” is a style all of its own, the contrasting sounds and orchestration are on point. “Sorry. Etc. is heavy - very Garbage-y synth and guitar. “Bird” sounds like a grower. “Under The Knife’ has some beautiful backing vocals - you can really see the guitar player’s passion. “Changed Shapes” is very cool (it has a summer dancefoor vibe). The cover of “Like A Prayer” is a lot of fun. It’s certainly an album that will get a lot of play!
I am very sadly out of the loop - I neither realised that Wheatus were still a band, nor that they were in Scotland this month, nor that they are still out there absolutely killing it.
The Best Ever Death Metal Band in Denton (Mountain Goats cover) - Nathaniel Rateliff
Lovely version and the ending is perfection.
Sisters Are Doin’ It For Themselves - Eurythmics and Aretha Franklin
38 years old and just as powerful as when it came out.
Nothing much to say about Girls on the TV - just a song that’s been getting stuck in my head.
I Feel Love (Donna Summer cover) - Red Hot Chili Peppers
Giorgio Morode wrote Donna Summer’s I Feel Love on a synth… so everything he did with delay in the original Flea absolutely destroys by playing every single note. Genius.
Don’t Forget Me - Red Hot Chili Peppers
YouTube did me a solid and played this straight after the Donna Summer cover, as if to remind me/the world that Flea isn’t the only awe-inspiring talent in the RHCPs… this whole song is solo and has always been one of my favourite tracks of theirs. Not sure how I’ve never heard this version!
It amuses me that this song is so fun and so sax-heavy and in a few ways has parallels with Meat Loaf, and also shares the track name with a Meat Loaf song.
Absolute songwriting fire going on here! I love the dynamics and the layering of the organ under the vocal duet.
Scottish punk duo, powerful sound. I love it when a band changes instruments… but swapping out the drummer isn’t all that common.
Community Service - Bottle Rockets
This song has a very 90s skate-punk vibe to it, and the harmonies are lush.
Cold Water Swimming - Quiet Houses
Mellow loveliness.
Take me to a 1920’s speakeasy and I’d be hoping that this was the song coming from the stage.
The heavier end of what I’ve been listening to this month. Some really sludgy guitar tones mixed with strident vocals. (I’m also a fab of Beneath The Rose).