Best of 2018:Jon Hopkins "Singularity" (2018)

Singularity

release date: May 4, 2018

format: digital (9 x File, FLAC)

[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,94]

producer: Jon Hopkins

label: Domino - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "Singularity" (4,5 / 5) (official shorter video) - 2. "Emerald Rush" - 3. "Neon Pattern Drum" - 4. "Everything Connected" (4 / 5) - 6. "C O S M" - 8. "Luminous Beings"

[ full album ]

5th studio album by Jon Hopkins follows five years after Immunity (Jun. 2013). Five years is quite a long time in the music business, and it hasn't been time wasted for Hopkins, who has been a much sought for producer, co-writer, and composer on various releases. He has worked for Coldplay and toured with the band, and he has made the soundtrack album How I Live Now for the drama film by Kevin Mcdonald.

The album is a different creature than the acclaimed predecessor, and it's actually impressive how varied the album is, when it's still an extremenly coherent whole. Immunity also excelled with progressive compositions and patterns that keep evolving but that's something you dsicover is taken much further here. Stylewise, it's still in the same ballgame where tech house meets downtempo and where the experimental ingredient is ever-present. All that remains, but on top of that all compositions have that ambient quality that proppels you on a forward trip into unknown territory of deep space. Listening to this, have me thinking that it's liekly the closest you can get to have an experience that equels that of tripping from Crystal Meth without actually having taken a drug. Of course you don't hallucinate, you still consciously know where you are but may have an impression of sinking into some kind of transmission and feel an out-of-body-experience. Anyway, I get it.

Singularity is Hopkin's first and only album to top the UK Dance charts and it's also his best charting album on the general albums chart list peaking at number #9, which I fully understand. His 2013 album rightfully provided him international fame and this newest album only underlines his status as one of Britain's most fascinating composers of electronic music. This is simply Hopkins' best album to date!

Highly recommended.

[ 👍Pitchfork 8,3 / 10, Mojo, Q Magazine 4 / 5, Uncut 3,5 / 5, NME 5 / 5, 👎The Guardian 2 / 5 stars ]

[ Jon Hopkins on bandcamp ]

2018 Favourite releases: 1. Jon Hopkins Singularity - 2. The Fratellis In Your Own Sweet Time - 3. Robyn Honey

Latin Quarter "Modern Times" (1985)

Modern Times [debut]
release date: 1985
format: digital (1989 reissue)
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,38]
producer: Pete Hammond & Latin Quarter
label: Rocking Horse / RCA - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "Modern Times" (4 / 5) (live in 2012) - 3. "Radio Africa" (4 / 5) (live in 2012) - 5. "America for Beginners" - 6. "Eddie" - 10. "Truth About John"

Studio album debut by London-based Latin Quarter released on the smaller Arista-owned company Rocking Horse (reissued in '89 by RCA). The band has been through various line-ups over the years but here they count eight [!] members fronted by Steve Skaith as lead vocalist and guitarist, Richard Wright on guitar and backing vocals, Greg Harewood on bass, Yona Dunsford as vocalist and on piano, Steve Jeffries on keyboards and backing vocals, Carol Douet as vocalist and on percussion, Richard Stevens on drums and percussion, and with Mike Jones, who alone is credited as songwriter.

The music is characterised by a solid (left-wing) political stand as well as a socially-engaged attitude with roots in reggae, world music but still framed in a pop / rock kontext with stress on 'pop'.

I believe, the first tracks, I ever heard on the radio by this band were the title song and "Radio Africa". Both still hold quite nicely, although, they are shrouded by stemming from another period, mostly due to their strong political content and the use of synthetic drums. Other songs have aged with lesser success and mostly appear as naive. Stilewise, the band could sound as a pop-clone of music by Peter Gabriel, Men At Work and the later, and likewise politically and socially engaged collective, Chumbawumba.

[ allmusic.com 3 / 5 stars ]

Robin Guthrie "Fortune" (2012)

Fortune

release date: Nov. 26, 2012

format: digital (10 x File, FLAC)

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,56]

producer: Robin Guthrie

label: Soleil Après Minuit - nationality: Scotland, UK

Track highlights: 1. "Cadence" - 2. "Circus Circus" - 3. "Ladybird" - 4. "Tigermilk" - 7. "Forever Never"

5th solo album by Robin Guthrie follows 1½ years after Emeralds (May 2011) and is possibly the first to only be issued on Guthrie's own label Soleil Après Minuit, although most of his solo material and collaboration albums also have been released in some secondary format on the label.

Fortune doesn't stir anyone's image of Robin Guthrie. In fact it sound very much like the "B-side" to Emeralds with an ethereal and ambient style built around Guthrie's slow-burning guitar harmonies with as much echo and delay effects you can get.

The album has been issued via Darla Records for vinyl issues, but it seems he's no longer being promoted, which explains why it's difficult to find any official reviews. Quite naturally, Guthrie doesn't sell in large numbers - I think his income may depend on projects: film scores, producer or mixing credits, and that his new releases to a large extent are financed via his technical status. And that again may explain why his music sound so much alike. For Guthrie, it's no more a desire to create new styles, better selling albums, but much more the result of his love for a specific kind of sound. He doesn't care if critics, distributors or radio stations find his music dull or off the target. Still, when you're familiar with his collaboration works with Harold Budd, his solo albums Carousel (2009) and Emeralds (2011), then you may begin to wish as I do: what if Robin Guthrie had someone else produce his album - his next solo release? Wouldn't that be something! He has developed a sound that is almost touching on sterile, where every effect-pedal needs a fixed position, so that the guitar swirls in the exact same way it did one or maybe even two decades ago. Yes, he is a sound engineer and a sound wizard, but how I wish he could learn some new tricks.

That said, Fortune is warm honey for your ears. So find yourself a moment of peace. Turn up the volume and put on Fortune. Sit down in your favourite chair. Close your eyes. Wait. Wait. Wait. Listen!

Recommended.

Elvis Costello & The Attractions "The Very Best of Elvis Costello & the Attractions" (1994)

The Very Best of Elvis Costello & the Attractions (compilation)
release date: Oct. 25, 1994
format: digital
[album rate: 4 / 5]
producer: various
label: Demon Records - nationality: England, UK

Best of compilation album released on Costello's former record label with songs spanning from his earliest albums to Blood & Chocolate (1986) after which he signed with Warner Bros. And just this label had earlier in '94 (Mar. 8) released Costello's Brutal Youth, which had been seen as a "return" despite having already released two other albums on Warner since his '86 album; however, both Spike (1989) and Mighty Like a Rose (1991) had been reviewed and possibly intentionally released as bolder mainstream albums, and Brutal Youth was compared to his more power pop-shaped '86 release.

This is not the best "best of" album you'll find with Costello, in fact there are so many best of albums claiming to contain his "hits" that it seems like an endless project to list them all. The first official album making the attempt to compile a best of album is The Best of Elvis Costello and The Attractions from 1985 issued on Columbia exclusively for the North American market containing 19 tracks, and a similar, though not identical, release The Best of Elvis Costello - The Man issued by Demon for the UK and Japanese markets containing 18 tracks. These two issues originally had the same front cover as background but "only" twelve tracks in common and a completely different playlist. Later issues of the UK version have a different cover. In 2007, Hip-O-Records issued the album The Best of Elvis Costello - The First 10 Years compiled by Costello himself, which basically is a (fine) combination of the two former best of albums containing 22 tracks.

Demon also released the extensive album Girls + £ ÷ Girls = $ & Girls (commonly referred to as Girls, Girls, Girls) subtitled "The Songs of Elvis Costello / The Sounds of Elvis Costello & The Attractions" from 1989 containing 47 tracks, and in 1999: The Very Best of Elvis Costello containing 42 tracks. Apart from these, Demon and associated labels have released various compilation albums, and also Warner / WEA has issued a number of Costello compilations like Malice and Magic (1994) and Extreme Honey (The Very Best of the Warner Bros. Years) (1997).

Forced to choose just one of the many best of albums, I would go with the 2007 Hip-O-Records issue.

[ allmusic.com 4,5 / 5 stars ]

Zucchero "All the Best" (2007)

All the Best (compilation)
release date: Nov. 23, 2007
format: digital (2-disc)
[album rate: 3,5 / 5]

Released as 'Zucchero Sugar Fornaciari'. This is a fine double compilation album if you don't have Zucchero in your collection. It contains 35 tracks most of which are in Italian. It also contains "Wonderful Life", a song by British singer Black from his debut album Wonderful Life (1987), also released as a cover version by Zucchero as a single release earlier in 2007, which didn't make it to an album but was a rather big hit, again as it was for Black.

This is a highly recommended album.

Nils Frahm "All Melody" (2018)

All Melody
release date: Jan. 26, 2018
format: cd
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,86]
producer: Nils Frahm
label: Erased Tapes - nationality: Germany

Track highlights: 2. "Sunson" - 3. "A Place" - 5. "Human Range" - 6. "Forever Changeless" - 7. "All Melody" (live) - 8. "#2" - 11. "Kaleidoscope"

9th studio album by Nils Frahm, who has released albums on independent English label Erased Tapes since 2009. This is modern classical and minimalism fusioned with electronic, and perhaps with the addition of ambient, although, that may be an integral part of the aforementioned styles combined. It's difficult to label as either part of an experimental electronic genre, or rather think of it as avant-garde within the classical sphere. It's really transgressing the idea of fixed music genres as belonging to either popular music or classical, almost in a "wave versus particle" theory - this is really both depending on perspective.
It's simplistic, and at times truly minimalist but also built using melodic harmonies in a very organic way. And there's an ever-present sensation of ambience, which makes me think of a modern version of Jean-Michel Jarre - at least when thinking of his earliest works - just without traditional synths.
Previously, I have seen Frahm as an artist who makes music that requires ones full attention, but with All Melody he has moved into the hemisphere of popular music where manifestations may be listened to with randomised attention, so to speak. And speaking of manifestations - Frahm was musical composer to the fabulous Julian Rosefeldt film "Manifesto" (2015) featuring Cate Blanchett, in which she brilliantly plays a dozen different characters, and the music plays its very own prominent part.
Perhaps there's some need of sharpened attention when listening to All Melody but that doesn't mean you necessarily need to put on a pair of headphones to absorb the message; however, you may very well do just that and thereby extend your experience. I come to think of Philip Glass - the seemingly repetitious intervals that you meet along the way in most of the compositions here, but also Jarre and a sense of ethereal spaciousness.
Sometimes listening to this album makes me imagine watching an imaginary Godfrey Reggio sequel to "Powaqqatsi" where you're exposed to unexpected lifeforms seen from the flight of a drone, through the eyes of a seagull, or through the lenses of an underwater camera following a herd of dolphins to a secret place in the outskirts of Atlantis.
Highly recommended.
[ allmusic.com 3,5 / 5, Drowned in Sound 5 / 5 stars ]

Best of 2003:Sun Kil Moon "Ghosts of the Great Highway" (2003)

2018 reissue

Ghosts of the Great Highway [debut]
release date: Nov. 4, 2003
format: 2 lp vinyl (2018 reissue - gatefold) / 2 cd (2007 reissue)
[album rate: 4,5 / 5] [4,65]
producer: Mark Kozelek
label: Rough Trade / Caldo Verde - nationality: USA

Tracklist: 1. "Glenn Tipton" (4 / 5) - 2. "Carry Me Ohio" (5 / 5) (acoustic live) - 3. "Salvador Sanchez" (5 / 5) (live) - 4. "Last Tide" (4 / 5) - 5. "Floating" (4 / 5) - 6. "Gentle Moon" (5 / 5) (live) - 7. "Lily and Parrots" (4 / 5) - 8. "Duk Koo Kim" (5 / 5) (live) - 9. "Sí, Paloma" (4 / 5) - 10. "Pancho Villa" (4 / 5) - *11. "Gentle Moon" (acoustic)

*Bonus track on 2018 vinyl issue - The 2007 2 cd issue contains 6 bonus tracks.

Studio album debut by Sun Kil Moon originally released on Jetset Records (reissued in 2007 as a double cd containing 6 bonus tracks issued on Kozelek's own label Caldo Verde Records and reissued in 2018 by Caldo Verde in the US and by Rough Trade in the UK). The album follows 2½ years after the Kozelek-led band Red House Painters' final album Old Ramon (Apr. 2001).

This is gentle, voluminous music only requiring ears that will find... joy. "Mark Kozelek & Co." you could call it, since Kozelek was founder, singer, composer, guitarist and bandleader of Red House Painters before Sun Kil Moon, and his solo albums are hard to distinguish from both bands' releases. Despite the fact that Kozelek wrote both music and lyrics, this album stands out, however, being the most electrified indie folk rock of "his" albums so far. Apart from Kozelek the band consists of two bassists, Jerry Vessel (former bassist of Red House Painters) and Geoff Stanfield, as well as two drummers, Anthony Koutsos (former drummer of Red House Painters) and Tim Mooney. Guitarist Phil Carney of Red House Painters is not credited on the album but he would join Sun Kil Moon on a later point, although only for live performances.

Mark must have a certain fascination for boxing, it appears. The band name Sun Kil Moon is a direct reference to the Korean boxer, Sung-Kil Moon, and three of the tracks on this album are named after boxers who faced untimely deaths - the "ghosts of the great highway", presumably. Salvador Sanchez was a Mexican boxer who died in a car crash in 1982; "Duk Koo Kim" [an absolutely amazing track lasting 14:30 min.] is the moniker [real name is Kim Deuk-Gu] of the Korean boxer who died after a knock-out in a title match against Ray "Boom Boom" Mancini that put him in a coma in 1982 - a sad story of tragic deaths, which had serious effects on both Mancini and Kim's mother; and Pancho Villa [aka Francisco Guilledo] died after a tooth extraction in 1925. The two tracks "Salvador Sanchez" and "Pancho Villa" have the exact same lyrics and song structure but the first is with electric guitar and the latter is only with acoustic guitar. Although, most music by 'Kozelek & Co.' normally is quiet folk-oriented music, he is influenced or inspired by heavy metal and hard rock. The track "Glen Tipton" is simply named after the guitarist of the British heavy metal band, Judas Priest, and his earlier solo debut album What's Next to the Moon (Feb. 2001) only features Kozelek's musical adaptations of AC/DC songs (insofar, he has only kept the lyrics but completely altered the music).

Musically, this is indie rock and folk rock with a fine balance of swirling electric guitar-arrangements as well as subtle and gentle parts with strings and acoustic instrumentation. Sometimes it's raw energy that may be influenced by Neil Young with Crazy Horse without plagiarism, other times it's more in the domain of Simon & Garfunkel or Nick Drake, sometimes to Spanish composer Andrés Segovia; but most of all, it's without confining bonds to others with a highly original style embracing it all.

I really enjoy his more quiet acoustic guitar folk-based releases but they do have a tendency to sound a bit much alike - this one, however, is simply out of this world altogether fantabulous.

Imho, this is no less than the best album of a decade and naturally a highly recommend listen.

[ allmusic.com, Pitchfork, Uncut 4 / 5, 👎Rolling Stone 3,5 / 5, 👉Sputnikmusic 5 / 5 stars ]

2003 Favourite releases: 1. Sun Kil Moon Ghosts of the Great Highway - 2. Bo Kaspers Orkester Vilka tror vi att vi är - 3. Rufus Wainwright Want One

Arcade Fire "Everything Now" (2017)

Everything Now
release date: Jul. 28, 2017
format: cd
[album rate: 3 / 5] [2,92]
producer: Arcade Fire and various
label: Columbia - nationality: Canada

Track highlights: 2. "Everything Now" - 4. "Creature Comfort" - 5. "Peter Pan" - 7. "Infinite Content" - 11. "Put Your Money on Me"

5th studio album by Arcade Fire is self-produced by the band with various co-producers on selected tracks sees the band on their perhaps most radical stylistic change. Reflektor had the band try on disco and alt. dance on a number of tracks, but with this, the band has completely moved into a new territory of dance-oriented music.The title track is extended in 3 songs: track 1 "Everything_Now (Continued)", with an underscore continue track 13 "Everything Now (Continued)" without the underscore and plays with the media as to underline what is proposed in the two track titles "Infinite Content" (#7) and "Infinite_Content" (#8) - the whole album is meant to play indefinitely.
It's not that it's bad, 'cause the production sound is there - it's more so a question about what they contribute with. Yes, they can play whatever they feel like, but going synthpop on the dancefloor means that you should add something to the genre - new danceable tunes. But this is just all so ever cute without that thangg. Where are the more than just interesting songs? The title song has been playing on my radio for months, and I'm so tired of that tune. It never was a great one after all, but that's how the music business works these days. Some tracks are cheesy, some have indie pop potential ('Peter Pan', 'Infinite Content'), some sound as drawn after other successful dance songs by New Order ('Creature Comfort'), Daft Punk / Chemical Brothers ('Signs of Life', 'Electric Blue').
Looking down the Arcade Fire path, I see greatness in the wilderness, but I no longer have strong expectations about this band for the future. They jumped right onto the big scene, and perhaps too soon to be able to navigate and continue in what would have been a natural progression.
The album cover is made in numerous editions with different colours and titles in native languages.
This is not really recommended.
[ 👍allmusic.com, Q Magazine, The Guardian 3 / 5, Rolling Stone 4 / 5 stars ]

Robyn "Honey" (2018)

Honey
release date: Oct. 26, 2018
format: digital (9 x File, FLAC)
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,84]
producer: Joseph Mount (primary)
label: Konichiwa Records - nationality: Sweden

Track highlights: 1. "Missing U" (live on Later) - 2. "Human Being (feat. Zhala)" - 3. "Because It's in the Music" - 4. "Baby Forgive Me" - 6. "Honey" (live on Later) - 7. "Between the Lines" - 9. "Ever Again"

8th studio album by Robyn released some 8 years following her previous studio album Body Talk from 2010. The album has various producers - with Joseph Mount as the album's main producer on 6 out of 9 tracks, and with Klas Åhlund (Robyn's main co-writer on 5 tracks), as producer on 4 of the songs.
The album spawned the two singles, "Missing U" released in August and the title track released the following month reaching number #13 and #23 respectively on the Swedish singles charts. The album topped the charts in Sweden and it's her best-faring album on the US albums chart list as number #40, and it was soon attributed positive reviews from major music magazines and sites world-wide, which I fully understand.
A first listen doesn't necessarily convince the listener of a major development when comparing to her previous albums, but already on a second or third confrontation I notice how the songs are composed with a slower and more progressive approach where the single songs stand out as near-monumental compositions - musically as well as lyrically. There's a presence of maturity all over the album - something one cannot ascribe her previous seven albums, and the sensation is more indirect but perhaps more life-strong as contrary to her bolder dance-floor hits.
Honey is no less than one of Robyn's best and most coherent albums to date, as well as a major album of the year. For a year or so, I had this at a first spot, but in retrospect I found two albums bettering another really strong release by Robyn. She basically dunnit again, although, the lasting impression leaves me with the sensation that it doesn't reach the high level of the 2010 nor the 2007 albums - but lesser will do more than fine.
Recommended.
[ allmusic.com, Rolling Stone 4,5 / 5, 👍NME, Q Magazine, The Times 4 / 5 stars ]

2018 Favourite releases: 1. Jon Hopkins Singularity - 2. The Fratellis In Your Own Sweet Time - 3. Robyn Honey

The Wainwright Sisters "Songs in the Dark" (2015)

Songs in the Dark [debut]

release date: Nov. 13, 2015

format: digital

[album rate: 3 / 5] [2,84]

producer: Brad Albetta (recorded by)

label: Play It Again Sam - nationality: Canada / USA

Track highlights: 2. "Hobo's Lullaby" (live) - 9. "Long Lankin"

Debut album from The Wainwright Sisters counting Canadian Martha Wainwright and her younger American half-sister Lucy Wainwright Roche, daughter of their common father, Loudon Wainwright III and Suzzy Roche, American vocalist and known from the vocal group The Roches. Prior to this, in 2013 Martha Wainwright released the soundtrack album Trauma: Chansons de la Série Télé, Saison #4 - collecting the music from the entire season 4 of the Canadian edition of the TV series "Trauma", and her latest studio album is Come Home to Mama (Oct. 2012). Lucy most recently released her second solo studio album There's a Last Time for Everything (Oct. 2013) and earlier that year she released Fairytale and Myth (Mar. 2013) as a duo release with her mother Suzzy Roche.

Songs in the Dark consists of 16 classic lullabies in the form of folk and singer/songwriter compositions mainly from the 60s, but also from earlier, as well as from the following decade. These include compositions of their familial ancestry: from their father, Loudon, Martha's mother Kate McGarrigle, and tracks from Lucy's aunt, Terre Roche. In addition, you'll find songs by Paul Simon, Richard Thompson, Townes Van Zandt, Cindy Walker, Irving Berlin, as well as three traditionals often known in versions by Woody Guthrie (including track #2). The album's credit list includes several family members: Aunt Anne McGarrigle and her children, Lily and Sylvan Ranken, and Aunt Jane McGarrigle.

These are acoustic tracks held in typical vocal-based arrangements accompanied only by acoustic guitar, sometimes by violin and bass, and generally characterised by the absence of percussion and other rhythmic instruments other than the sporadic sound of bells. In general, it is a slightly one-sided album, where vocal dynamism is missing. Like the sisters Anne & Kate McGarrigle, the two half-sisters here are known for strong vocals but on the album you'll find few challenging melodies, where you miss the fine two-partness that Anne and Kate mastered, and perhaps the intention is just to collect a series of lullabies and play those as they should and should be used: to put people to sleep. At least it's a bit of a long-sufferance.

Recommended mostly for 'little ones' who are ready to sleep.

[👎 allmusic.com 4 / 5, PopMatters 3,5 / 5, Q Magazine, 👍Mojo 3 / 5 stars ]

Etta James "Rocks the House" (1964) (live)

Rocks the House (live)
release date: Jan. 23, 1964
format: digital
[album rate: 4 / 5]

First live and 5th overall album release by Etta James released on Argo Records and produced by Leonard Chess and Etta James. The album is the recordings of a concerts held on the nights of Sep. 27 and 28, 1963 at the New Era Club in Nashville, Tennessee, USA. The album is very fine r&b, soul album with one of the genre's best vocal artists and is considered one of her best live albums ever recorded.
[ allmusic.com 5 / 5 stars ]

Let's Eat Grandma "I'm All Ears" (2018)

I'm All Ears
release date: Jun. 29, 2018
format: cd
[album rate: 3 / 5] [2,78]
producer: David Wrench
label: Transgressive Records - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "Whitewater" - 3. "It's Not Just Me"

2nd studio album by Norwich-founded electropop-duo, Let's Eat Grandma consisting of the friends Jenny Hollingworth and Rosa Walton.
The album offers an energetic release with electropop tunes with a twist of something in between art pop and indietronica and sometimes fused with progressive pop. It's mostly moulded as a warm, positive sound, but it also contains a bitter-sweet tone and plenty of classic synth pop.
I'm All Ears has generally harvested critical acclaim from near and afar - which is the main reason for my interest here. I just don't quite understand the general reception. It's nice, and it's fine. I believe, that's the most positive, I can come up with. I don't find it specifically original, and the majority of the songs are easily forgotten. The singing voices of the two front figures are much alike and all together not impressive as musical instruments. I find elements of songs that I really like, but as an overall experience, I'm bewildered and confused 'cause it must contain something, I just don't appreciate. The best thing about the band is its name.
Not recommended.
[ allmusic.com, Mojo, NME, The Times 4 / 5, Q, The Guardian 5 / 5, Rolling Stone 3,5 / 5 stars ]

Mogwai "Les Revenants" (OST) (2013)

Les Revenants (soundtrack)

release date: Feb. 25, 2013

format: digital (14 x File, MP3)

[album rate: 3 / 5] [2,98]

producer: Mogwai

label: Rock Action Records - nationality: Scotland, UK

Track highlights: 1. "Hungry Face" - 5. "This Messiah Needs Watching" - 7. "Special N" - 13. "What Are They Doing in Heaven Today?" - 14. "Wizard Motor (4 / 5)

Soundtrack album by Mogwai made for the first season of the French TV series of the same name ('The Returned' in English) by Fabrice Gobert. The album contains 14 tracks including a cover originally composed by Washington Phillips and written by Charles Albert Tindley.

Like the ep, this full-length soundtrack doesn't quite live up to the band's normal studio albums.

[ bandcamp ]

[ allmusic.com 4,5 / 5, The Guardian 4 / 5, Pitchfork 7,6 / 10 stars ]

New world "Tom Tom Turnaround" (1971) (single)

Tom Tom Turnaround, 7'' single

release date: 1971

format: vinyl (RAK 117)

[single rate: 3 / 5] [3,14]

producer: Mike Hurst

label: Columbia - nationality: Australia

Tracklist: A) "Tom Tom Turnaround" - - B) "Lay Me Down"

Single release by Australian Brisbane-located folk pop band New World taken from its second album titled New World (1971) following its debut The New World (1969) when their band name was The New World.

This single appears to have various front covers depending on national imprints. This particular Danish print most probably comes from my older brother's record collection. I do recall playing this as 7-12 years of age but never was a big fan of it.

~ ~ ~

This post is part of MyMusicJourney, which enlists key releases that have shaped my musical taste when growing up and until age 14. Most of these releases come from my parents' and / or my older brother's collection.

Kent "Best Of" (2016)

Best Of (compilation)
release date: Sep. 16, 2016
format: 2 cd
[album rate: 4 / 5]
producer: various
label: RCA / Sony Music - nationality: Sweden

Best of is a best of compilation album by Kent released as they prepare the disbandment announced for Dec. 17, 2016. The album contains 24 tracks from all 12 studio albums with the addition of 4 new songs.
The album is truly a fine an exquisite listen. The first immediate, yet obvious observation is all the great songs that are not represented here. But how should they find room for all the fine music released by the best Scandinavian act for the past 20 years?! They should then have released a 4-disc album, and even then, many would miss their favourite songs. Instead we have this: A truly fine documentation of a beautiful musical journey.
I still find it hard to believe they end it here, while still producing great music.
Needles to say, the album reached #1 on the Swedish albums chart list. Now all we want is an updated B-side compilation album like B-sidor 95-00 from 2000, although, it would have to span 4 discs.
Highly recommended.

Eddie Vedder "Ukulele Songs" (2011)

Ukulele Songs
release date: May 31, 2011
format: cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,58]
producer: Adam Kasper and Eddie Vedder
label: Monkeywrench Records - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 1. "Can't Keep" - 2. "Sleeping by Myself" (4 / 5) - 3. "Without You" (4 / 5) (live on Letterman) - 4. "More Than You Know" - 6. "Broken Heart" (4 / 5 ) - 7. "Satellite" - 8. "Longing to Belong" (4 / 5) - 12. "Sleepless Nights" (feat. Glen Hansard) - 13. "Once in a While" - 15. "Tonight You Belong to Me" feat. Chan Marshall (Cat Power)
[ full album ]

2nd solo album by Eddie Vedder is a 16-track album and a really daring release. Many Pearl Jam fans must have stood with mouths wide open listening to this the first time, however, it's much more an album I wished for having listened to the man for the past 2 decades in mostly hard rock grunge rock and alt. rock settings. This is the gentle and more "naked" side to his talent. He has a gorgeous voice and it really suits him to sing these simple songs accompanied only by ukulele, regardless the simpleness, 'cause his voice lifts the songs alone.
[ allmusic.com 3,5 / 5 stars ]

Mogwai "Les Revenants EP" (2012) (ep)

Les Revenants EP, ep

release date: Dec. 17, 2012

format: digital (4 x File, MP3 - ROCKACT73D)

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,36]

producer: Mogwai

label: Rock Action Records - nationality: Scotland, UK

Track highlights: 1. "Wizard Motor" (4 / 5)

4 track ep release by Mogwai preceeding the release of the soundtrack album Les Revenants (Feb. 2013). Three of the compositions are also found on the full soundtrack album, although only the first track, "Wizard Motor" is kept (almost entirely) in this version, whereas the two other tracks (tracks #3 and #4) offer quite different arrangements, and the short track #2 doesn't figure on the soundtrack.

Just as with the full album, it's difficult to embrace these compositions as anything else than a music score, but "Wizard Motor" sticks out as a fabulous track that doesn't sound like anything else and simply makes it worth to know this ep.

Best of 2006:Amy Winehouse "Back to Black" (2006)

original cover

Back to Black
release date: Oct. 30, 2006
format: cd (2007 Deluxe Edition) / 2 lp vinyl (2021 deluxe edition)
[album rate: 4,5 / 5] [4,48]
producer: Mark Ronson, Salaam Remi
label: Island Records - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: Disc 1) 1. "Rehab" - 2. "You Know I'm No Good" - 3. "Me and Mr. Jones" (live) - 4. "Just Friends" - 5. "Back to Black" - 6. "Love Is a Losing Game" (5 / 5) (live) - 7. "Tears Dry on Their Own" (live on Later) - 8. "Wake Up Alone"
Disc 2) 1. "Valerie" (5 / 5) - 2. "Cupid" - 3. "Monkey Man" (live) - 4. "To Know Him Is to Love Him" - 5. "Hey Little Rich Girl" (feat. Zalon & Ade) (live) - 6. "You're Wondering Now" - 8. "Love Is a Losing Game" (Original Demo)

2nd and final studio album by Amy Winehouse released three years after her debut album contains 6 tracks produced by Mark Ronson and the remaining 5 tracks on the standard album is produced by Salaam Remi. The Deluxe Edition released 13 months later is a double disc album with the standard album in a remastered edition and a bonus disc with a collection of B-sides and live recordings.
The original album peaked at number #1 on the UK albums chart list, just as it did in many countries world-wide including in Austria, France, Ireland, Germany, The Netherlands, Switzerland, and in New Zealand. The album also went as high as to number #7 on the American Billboard 200, and when it was reissued as a double disc it peaked at number #2. It contains a number of great tracks and several singles made it to top-10 on the singles chart, although none ended up on top of the charts. The first single from the album was "Rehab", peaking at number #7 in the UK. This was followed by "You Know I'm No Good", which peaked at number #18, then the title track was released as a single, peaking at number #8, and then two more singles were released: "Tears Dry on Their Own" and "Love Is a Losing Game" peaking at number #16 and number #33, respectively.
Now, how do you pick a short list displaying only the best tracks from this album? It's an impossible task, and with the double disc edition it doesn't become any easier with a bonus disc full of gems including ska revival and rock steady tracks, e.g. "Hey, Little Rich Girl" (org. by The Specials), "Monkey Man" (by Frederick 'Toots' Hibbert) and "You're Wondering Now" (by Clement Seymour 'Sir Coxsone' Dodd). All songs here are wonderful examples of this woman's extraordinary gift and great potential, and although Frank is a mighty fine debut, it's nevertheless overshadowed by the strength of this very album. The songs here showcase Winehouse's songwriter qualities and most of all, it's produced and arranged to support her songs, which makes this a better album.
Despite rumours about a follow-up Back to Black remains the final Amy Winehouse studio album. Following the album release, the success almost appeared without an end, which meant that she kept touring after new nominations and awards, and then her physical conditions began to show when performing on stage. She had recorded some demos that were meant for a forthcoming album but all this was shelved when she passed away Jul. 2011, at age 27.
Back to Black is naturally included in "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die" as it's one of the most evident top-of-year album releases, you may come across.
Highly recommended.

Edit 2021:

The 2021 2 lp vinyl Deluxe Edition is a really fine issue of this album. It's a repress of a 2016 reissue, which is a remastered version of the 2007 CD Deluxe Edition only with the original cover replacing the all black cover of the 2007 issue. The vinyl version of this is cut using half-speed recording technique as a way to detail the output and issued on 180g vinyl. The 2 LP vinyl format wasn't issued until 2016.

2006 Favourite releases: 1. Amy Winehouse Back to Black - 2. Arctic Monkeys Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not - 3. Band of Horses Everything All the Time

2007 2-Disc
Deluxe Edition

Modest Mouse "Strangers to Ourselves" (2015)

Strangers to Ourselves
release date: Mar. 17, 2015
format: cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,74]
producer: Isaac Brock, Tucker Martine, Brian Deck, Andrew Weiss, Clay Jones
label: Epic Records - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 1. "Strangers to Ourselves" - 2. "Lampshades on Fire" (live) - 3. "Shit in Your Cut" - 5. "Ansel" - 6. "The Ground Walks, With Time in a Box" - 7. "Coyotes" - 8. "Pups to Dust" - 12. "God Is an Indian and You're an Asshole" - 14. "The Best Room"

6th studio album by Modest Mouse is the band's first full studio album in 8 years, and the line-up has changed considerably over this relatively long time span. Former The Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr, who only took part in the band line-up from 2006-09, left the band (and joined The Cribs in 2009) and he was replaced by Jim Fairchild. 2012 meant even bigger changes as founding member and bassist Eric Judy and percussionist Joe Plummer both left the band - their replacements were Russell Higbee and Davey Brozowski, and the band was expanded by multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Lisa Molinaro - and in 2014 also percussionist Ben Massarella, who had previously contributed on The Moon & Antarctica joined the group. This means that by now only the band's leader, vocalist and lyricist Isaac Brock and drummer Jeremiah Green have been in the band since 1993, and that Modest Mouse, which started out as a trio by now has become an octet.
The long time span and a completely new line-up sounds like something that would leave more than a significant mark on the output, but Strangers to Ourselves ultimately sounds like Modest Mouse more than anything and almost strangely follows closely on the path laid out on the 2007 album. Brock and Green sharing the steering wheel apparently guarantee the destination of the ride, where the journey perhaps has become more laid back and gentle. A song like "Lampshades on Fire", "Ansel" and "The Ground Walks, With Time in a Box" are songs that could easily have been part of the 2007 release, whereas other compositions are less energetic and seem more driven by narration. Without being weak, the opening title track really takes off in a completely new territory, which could scare some fans off, but the whole album is more than anything a solid experiment and pleasant return of this fascinating band. From my perspective, the album is a typical Modest Mouse album as it contains chorus-founded and melody-driven uptempo tracks and a particular amount of quirkiness. It also has the qualities of stronger albums as it unfolds itself along the way. It seems that no matter what happens in and around this band, Isaac Brock remains the captain of this vessel called Modest Mouse, and he makes sure that no matter the obstacles ahead, he'll bring forth the goods.
[ allmusic.com, The Guardian, Q Magazine 3 / 5, Rolling Stone, NME 3,5 / 5, Uncut 4 / 5 stars ]

The Cure "4:13 Dream" (2008)

4:13 Dream
release date: Oct. 27, 2008
format: cd
[album rate: 2,5 / 5]
producer: Robert Smith, Keith Uddin
label: Geffen Records - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 2. "The Only One" - 4. "Freakshow" - 6. "Real Snow White" - 8. "Switch"

13th studio album by The Cure. After O'Donnell and Bamonte was fired in 2005 the band toured as a trio with Robert Smith, Simon Gallup and Jason Cooper, but later in 2005 Porl Thompson rejoined the band. Another four years under its way, it's hard to see much progression from its predecessor The Cure (2004). I only find it an even more obvious mission for the band to thread the same steps like Franz Ferdinand ('Freakshow'), Bloc Party ('Switch') or other contemporary artists of post-punk revival wave. Unfortunately, the album turns out as yet another mediocre album from Robert Smith & Co, and by 2014 this has been the last studio album from the band, meaning no other album cam out in 2012. On the band members list it has also been in and out like it has for many years. O'Donnell and Tolhurst both have toured with the band, and Thompson on the other hand has announced no wish to continue in the band. Reeves Gabrels, famous guitarist in various art rock bands including Tin Machine and other work with David Bowie has toured and played in The Cure. Concerning new material, rumor has it that a new album is on its way, although, it has also been proclaimed that it would be outtakes from this album, which initially had been intended as a double album.
[ allmusic.com 2 / 5, Rolling Stone 3,5 / 5 stars ]