Sunday, December 17, 2006

BEST OF 2006
ALBUMS
BRAKES - 'THE BEATIFIC VISIONS' (Rough Trade)
Following up last years 'Give Blood' record, 'The Beatific Visions' proved to be a slightly more focused, yet none the less rocking affair - clocking in at just under 30 minutes of superbly chaotic country punk to keep everyone suitably entertained with shouts of 'SPIKEY SPIKEY' for a good while to come.
www.brakesbrakesbrakes.com
SPARKLEHORSE - 'DREAMT FOR LIGHT YEARS IN THE BELLY OF A MOUNTAIN' (Capitol)
The enigmatic Mark Linkous somehow managed to follow up the stunning 'Its a Wonderful Life' with this - an enchanting and mysterious collection of songs, that in perfect Sparklehorse fashion proved to be a heady mix of the beautiful and downright odd.
www.sparklehorse.com
EUROS CHILDS - 'CHOPS' (Witchita)
Debut solo effort from ex Gorkys main-man that doesn't stray too far from the playful path of the early Gorkys sound. Folk-pop combined with the odd psychedelic experiment and some wonderfully simple yet effective songs about seagulls, donkeys, pigmys and all manner of things in between.
www.euroschilds.com
TREECREEPER - 'GRAIN' (Ironweed Recordings)
The debut effort from London's Americana / Country influenced Treecreeper proved to be a reflective, and in parts rocking collection of songs, all rounded off with frontman Will Burns' world weary lyrical drawl, and sounding something like the middle ground between the Screaming Trees and Neil Young.
www.treecreepermusic.co.uk
JARVIS COCKER - 'JARVIS' (Rough Trade)
With a little help from Richard Hawley and ex Pulp man Steve Mackey, Jarvis returned with a first solo record packed full of simply brilliant pop music and trademark lyrical tales of middle England. Melody and craft coupled with energy and spirit - this record is right up there with Pulp at the peak of their powers. It was good to have him back.
www.myspace.com/jarvspace
THE LEMONHEADS - 'THE LEMONHEADS' (Vagrant)
Roping in ex Descendants Bill Stevenson and Karl Alvarez, Evan Dando's reformed Lemonheads were back doing what they do best - effortlessly catchy power pop. Incandescent harmonies, lazily immediate, catchy songs and crunching guitars, it was like they'd never been away.
www.thelemonheads.net
TOM WAITS - 'ORPHANS: BRAWLERS, BAWLERS AND BASTARDS'
A staggering 3 CD set, each disc sticking to a different musical style - yes, it can only have been Tom Waits. Comprising of 54 songs - song brand new, some rarities, there was plenty of gems to be found amongst the bar room haze of this record, made by a man who through his songs celebrates life, and somehow draws happiness from the gloom.
www.myspace.com/tomwaits
THIRTY POUNDS OF BONE - 'THE HOMESICK CHILDREN OF MIGRANT MOTHERS' (Drift)
Thirty Pounds Of Bone cleverly managed to combine the dreaminess of Sparklehorse, the intimacy of Will Oldham and the sentimentality of Shane MacGowan on their debut record - in the process creating dark and intimate modern folk songs. Yes, its essentially folk music but approached from a challenging and interesting dimension.
www.myspace.com/thirtypoundsofbone
BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN - 'WE SHALL OVERCOME: THE SEEGER SESSIONS' (Sony)
When Bruce when Bluegrass. Gathering together a mighty 11 piece bluegrass band, Springsteen hand picked his favourite American folk tales made famous by legendary folkie Pete Seeger, transforming them into something hugely joyous and uplifting. About as far removed from the E-Steet Band as it was possible to get and all the better for it.
www.brucespringsteen.net
MIDLAKE - 'TRIALS OF VAN OCCUPANTHER' (Bella Union)
Pastoral rock songs wrapped in subtle charm that perfectly envisages Midlake's vision of a beautifully natural and wild existence. Songs about hermits, chasing deer and bandits all combined to make an enchanting and refreshingly different album that progressed perfectly from their Grandaddy inspired 2002 debut.
www.midlake.net
SINGLES
MISTYS BIG ADVENTURE - 'FASHION PARADE' (Sunday Best)
A tongue in cheek ridicule of the current 'bland age' of music all wrapped up and cunningly disguised as an eccentrically bouncy and quite brilliant upbeat pop song. Extra top marks for featuring Noddy Holder and for surgically removing the piss out of the Kaiser Chiefs and Franz Ferdinand. Listen and rejoice.
www.mistysbigadventure.co.uk
ACTRESS HANDS - 'HALF AN HOUR' (Life Is Easy Records)
From Brighton, Actress Hands offered up a glorious Wedding Present inspired slab of scuzzy, fast paced guitar rock - complete with some effortlessly catchy chord progressions and breezy vocal harmonies. All in under two minutes.
www.actresshandsmusic.co.uk
CAMERA OBSCURA - 'LETS GET OUT OF THIS COUNTRY' (Elefant Records)
Enchantingly twee, heartfelt Scottish pop - a countrified take on the sound of The Pastels et al with more than a nod to the current crop of breezy Swedish acts such as The Concretes.
www.camera-obscura.net
MONSTER BOBBY - 'HEAVEN HIDES NOTHING' (Remake / Remodel Records)
A short, nostalgic tale of longing, set to strummed acoustic guitar and scattered electronic effects - highlighting perfectly Bobby's wonderfully unconventional vision of pop music. Like a one man Magnetic Fields from the South of England.
www.myspace.com/monsterbobby
RESTLESSLIST - 'BUTLIN BREAKS' (Life Is Easy Records)
A mind-bending concoction of instrumental post rock and dancefloor electronica was the debut single from Restlesslist. Lavishly cinematic, yet rocking as hell at the same time, this was a great intro the weird and wonderful world of 'the 'list'.
www.restlesslist.co.uk
GIGS
SUBURBAN KIDS WITH BIBLICAL NAMES - Jamm, Brixton
MISTYS BIG ADVENTURE + RESTLESSLIST - Pressure Point, Brighton
MIDLAKE - Hanbury Ballroom, Brighton
SPARKLEHORSE - Old Market, Hove
EUROS CHILDS + THE POPPYCOCKS - Hanbury Ballroom, Brighton
BRAKES - Pavillion theatre, Brighton
THE LEMONHEADS - Concorde 2, Brighton
Ian Chambers, Dec '06

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

<< Home