Russell Hoban (February 4, 1925 – December 13, 2011) had the most amazing way of putting ideas into words. I believe it’s something like this sensation described in Amaryllis Night and Day that often makes me go for solitary walks in the park. On lucky days I end up with something unexpected, like this tiny snail resting on a pair of paperbark maple seeds.
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And so all day today (starting at 12:01am Pacific Time), for any purchase you make on Bandcamp, we will be donating 100% of our share of the proceeds to the American Civil Liberties Union, who are working tirelessly to combat these discriminatory and unconstitutional actions. (Bandcamp Daily)
Whenever possible I link to Bandcamp in my posts because I think it’s the best platform to buy music by a mile. This just once again proves why. So today is the perfect day to look at your wishlist and pick as many items as possible, or if you need inspiration, here are some of my favourite releases of the past few years, in alphabetical order:
Boys Forever - Boys Forever
City Steps - Change Your Mind
Expert Alterations - You Can’t Always Be Liked
Hypoluxo - If Language
Karl Smith - Kites
Lowpines - That Bridge Washed Away In The Storm
The Newsletters - Ordinary Day
Red Shoe Diaries - When I Find My Heart…
Roomtone - Turkish Saddle
The Stammer - Days In Between
The Swapsies - Sparrows EP
Shine and Scatter is the stunning debut EP by Boston based Strange Passage which I came across via this amazing playlist put together by Mercury Girls and Wildhoney. The songs on this EP remind me of Expert Alterations as well as The Stammer, two of my favourite bands of recent years, so that’s pretty exciting. And there’s something about 4-song EPs that seems to work particularly well these days, I think. Listen/buy via Bandcamp.
Same procedure as last year: one song per artist, with a bit more of a focus on non-album tracks.
1 Cigarettes After Sex - K
2 The Newsletters - Please You
3 Motorama - By Your Side
4 Palomica - Honeydew
5 Rory McVicar - Toothache
6 Blurred Moon - Far
7 Lowpines - Forest Finds
8 Tinsel Heart - Wasted Yet Sad
9 Sodastream - Three Sins
10 Hypoluxo - In My Head It’s All Sand
11 Boys Forever - Cold Is The Colour
12 The Holiday Crowd - Cheer Up
13 Bigott - Coming Soon
14 The Ocean Party - Reach
15 Terry Malts - When The Nighttime Comes
16 Pete Astor - Really Something
17 Teleman - Düsseldorf
18 Roomtone - Up In The Air
19 Woods - Creature Comfort
20 Daughter - No Care
21 The Haywains - Girl In The Holly Court Diner
22 Lost Tapes - Going Nowhere
23 Chris Cohen - Torrey Pine
24 Bubblegum Lemonade - You Bring The Rain
25 J Churcher - Finding Roxanne
26 Paravelle - Cascades
27 The Crystal Furs - Capture You
28 Fascinations Grand Chorus - Actor/Actress
29 The Charlie Tipper Conspiracy - Lunar Garden Party
30 Ginnels - My Eyes! My Ears!
31 The Goon Sax - Home Haircuts
32 Plume Of Feathers - Lock In
33 The Pooches - Heart Attack
34 Songs For Walter - Moon/Two Out Of Ten
35 Love The Unicorn - Hate Forever
36 Young Romance - Wasting Time
37 E'spaniel - Just Another Day
38 Pavo Pavo - Ran Ran Run
39 Young Scum - If You Say That
40 Sunshine Faces - Some Kids You Knew
41 Leapling - I Decide When It Begins
42 Get Well Soon - It’s Love
43 Amber Arcades - Perpetuum Mobile
44 Divino Niño - Time
45 Vasity - Still Apart
46 Mercury Girls - Ariana
47 The Real Numbers - Only Two Can Play
48 Innerspace Orchestra - One Way Glass
49 Suburban Living - Once/Twice
50 Milk Skin - Syrupy
51 Skytone - Second Hand Shops
52 Chook Race - Sometimes
53 Ari Roar - Karate Again
54 Destroyer - My Mystery
55 Plastic Mermaids - Paris Milkshake
56 Plastic Flowers - Diver
57 The King In Mirrors - Talk About Today
58 Swimming Tapes - Set The Fire
59 Seafang - Summertime
60 Impulsive Hearts - MDB
61 Lightning In A Twilight Hour - The Sky Beyond The Sky
62 Kidsmoke - Cut Yourself Loose
63 Tindersticks - How He Entered
64 Trowler - Walk Away
65 Romantic States - Take My Hand And Run
66 Astronauts - You Can Turn It Off
67 Featherfin - The Only Thing I Miss
68 Lake Ruth - The Only One Who Knows
69 Starry Eyed Cadet - Reaction
70 Crescendo - Said
71 Day Wave - Deadbeat Girl
72 Cool Sounds - Shake
73 Gringo Star - Get Closer
74 The Keep Left Signs - Modern Dilemmas
75 Lost Film - Temporary
76 Stephen’s Shore - Ocean Blue
77 We. The Pigs - Something New
78 Sea Pinks - Yr Horoscope
79 Eskimeaux - Year of the Rabbit
80 Devendra Banhart - Middle Names
81 Dent May - Face Down In The Gutter Of Your Love
82 The Scotland Yard Gospel Choir - Clark & Belmont
83 Olov Antonsson - Det kan lika gärna bli september nu
84 Math and Physics Club - Coastal California, 1985
85 Pale Spectres - Your Boyfriend’s Girlfriend
86 Cosines - Let’s Start It Over
87 Animal Daydream - In My Room
88 Wild Nothing - Adore
89 Violent Femmes - Memory
90 Bent Shapes - What We Do Is Public
91 Posture - Dreamin’
92 Tele Novella - Fruits Of Misery
93 Star Parks - Souvenirs
94 Terribly Yours - Barbara
95 Lists - Millie & Ivor
96 Stephen Steinbrink - I’m Turning Inside Out
97 Galapaghost - Salt Lake City
98 Eerie Wanda - I Am Over Here
99 Roman Lakes - Cross Thread
100 The Beths - Rush Hour 3
If available, all songs included in my Spotify Best of 2016 playlist in this order, with another few hundred in no particular order.
Related:
Best of 2016: Albums
Best of 2015: Albums
Best of 2015: Songs
Best of 2014: Albums
Best of 2014: Songs
Boys Forever’s music has accompanied me throughout the year, from the first single ‘Poisonous’ in January to 'Voice In My Head’ and 'Cold Is The Colour’ in June/July, all of which got many repeated plays here, so I began to really look forward to the album. My expectations were high and they were not disappointed: I immediately fell in love with this succession of catchy tunes! For a while I listened to this album almost daily, and I remember the smile it would bring to my face in what seemed like the most random moments or places in much the same way as my favourite album did the year before. Maybe that’s why already back in September I had an inkling that Boys Forever was going to make it to the top of my list in 2016. I know I’ve compared them to Expert Alterations before, but it’s inevitable - both these albums make me feel a little bit lighter about life, and that can only be a good thing.
If Language was my surprise album of the year, firstly because Hypoluxo were completely unknown to me before October and secondly because of how much I ended up playing the album and falling in love with it a little more each time. I remember the first time I heard it I thought “this is pretty nice, it’ll probably end up *somewhere* in my top 50”. Little did I expect it would become my second most loved album of 2016 (a very close contender for number one in fact). Again, I see parallels to last year’s list as my number two in 2015 (The Stammer) evokes some of the same feelings, including a certain kind of darkness I look for in music every now and again. And from experience I know the type of album that takes a while to truly get into is an album I’ll enjoy for years to come.
Speaking of darkness, Motorama certainly fit in that category as well. I’m not exactly sure whether it’s coincidence or for some reason I’m unaware of, but I have a very personal connection with several of their songs. Needless to say, this makes them a very special band to me. They’re also one of my favourite bands to see live, and luckily they tour a lot! I’m glad that on Dialogues they’ve found their way back to a more playful, danceable sound again, closer to Alps than the releases in between, even though I do like pretty much everything Motorama ever put out.
With Lost At The Party Terry Malts have made a pretty miraculous progression from the sound of their earlier material, and even though I did enjoy songs like 'Something About You’ or 'Let You In’ I have to admit I much prefer this new direction. In a way it reminds me of Girls Names’ development over the years: away from noisy pop to a more refined sound, much darker, with quite some hints of post-punk. Once I’d heard 'Seen Everything’ I began to look forward to the album, although at the time I had no idea of how much I’d end up loving it. Enjoyed best on late evenings with a few glasses of wine, that’s what I’ve done rather often these autumn and winter months.
This is my favourite Ocean Party album so far - from start to finish it’s a beautiful half hour with not a single weak moment. Another album I enjoy the most late at night, like really late, when everything else is quiet. From the moment I first heard it I felt an instant connection with 'Reach’; it makes me long for a time quite far back in the past, perhaps in my childhood, without knowing what time exactly or why. It seems to evoke an old feeling or a memory of something emotionally relevant, again I can’t make out what it is. With every repeated listen I’m trying to grasp it, but it’s fleeting like the flicker of a dream you’re trying to hold on to when you’re waking up. Watch this amazing live performance I’m currently in love with!
It’s always lovely to hear something new by Pete Astor and even lovelier when it’s as good as Spilt Milk. 'Really Something’ or 'Sleeping Tiger’ are not only excellent but also pretty close to what he’s done with The Weather Prophets. I’m often not particularly looking forward to new albums by artists who’ve previously released more than 3-4 great albums, as I’m usually nervous my (high) expectations might not be met or even disappointed entirely, but in this case such worries would’ve been completely unnecessary. Maybe that’s because Pete Astor has stayed true to himself: “I’m back to being myself, bringing together sounds that I’ve used over time to make a record that sounds more like me than me!” (source).
The Holiday Crowd, much like Terry Malts, seem to have used the time between records to refine their sound and surprised us all with this stunning beauty of an album. Well, surprise may be the wrong word, because yes, Over The Bluffs was good ('Painted Like A Forest’ especially), but this is better, much better, it’s excellent! The Orange Juice comparison is obvious, still I have to repeat it as I got into Orange Juice fairly late, back in 2008, and all the more head over heels for it. I feel The Holiday Crowd album bringing back some of the excitement of those days as well as adding to it in its own way.
Listening to As If Apart feels a little bit like getting lost in a different world. Of course 'Torrey Pine’ makes for a very catchy start (and oddly but pleasantly reminds me of Cousteau’s 'The Last Good Day of the Year’), but after that the imagery and quiet elegance of Chris Cohen’s music are reminiscent of a long-lost fairy tale. I’ve enjoyed it on many summer evenings with a glass of wine at sunset, just escaping from present worries for a little while.
It makes a lot of sense that The Goon Sax would play gigs with Boys Forever. They definitely share their talent to make you smile unexpectedly, and maybe even laugh a little with lines like “I wanted my mum to cut my hair for me. She said, 'Louis, we don’t need these kinds of problems in this family.’ But now I’m feeling so unhappy. Unhappy with my hair”. Thanks for that, also for my dose of spoken word! Hopefully we won’t have to wait too long for another album, because the world needs more music like this.
Plume Of Feathers won my heart sometime in 2015 with their infectious single 'First Date’. The album was soon to follow in early 2016, a concept album that focuses on the decline of pubs in the UK. The danger with concept albums is that usually there are just two possible outcomes: either the music is somewhat compromised in favour of the story and the whole project seems overly intellectual, or it manages to tell the story while the music plays an equally important part in the journey. Luckily Plume Of Feathers belongs to the second group, delivering a well-balanced mix of catchy guitar pop and atmospheric spoken word tracks (did I mention I love spoken word?).
This was my summer album! During the numerous heatwaves there was hardly an evening I wasn’t tempted to play it, and most days I gave in to the temptation. There’s just something about the relaxed feel of this record that makes you think of lazing about on the beach in the sun, drink in hand and carefree. It’s not something I was able to enjoy in quite a while, but it’s nice to dream of at least, and this album takes you right there in your mind.
Songs For Walter was another early 2016 favourite. The problem with early favourites is often that throughout the year you’ll have listened to so many great albums that by the time you make your list the early ones are sometimes easy to forget. But not in this case: I feel like a lot of thought and care has gone into this album for all the detail and precision it contains, which will keep it interesting for a good while.
How could anyone not love this band or album? I mean, they’re from Glasgow, their songs are short, sweet, catchy and easy to sing along to. Sometimes that’s all you need, right? That may be even more true if you need cheering up; the encouraging 'Be Not So Fearful’ especially works as a reminder of how much better we could feel if we weren’t so nervous, regretful or afraid all the time, something I need to be reminded of rather often it seems.
I’ve been a fan of Bubblegum Lemonade, also from Glasgow, ever since their first EP Ten Years Younger came out in 2007 (which is, strange to think, about ten years ago now!). In spite of the statement that 'The Only Constant Is Change’, the indiepop charm of their songs is very consistent throughout all four albums. So if someone who doesn’t really know much about this kind of music asked me to name a few essential indiepop bands to start with, I’d most likely include Bubblegum Lemonade in my list.
Leapling’s music sounds refreshingly different and unique while just about familiar enough to not ask too much of you as a listener. This makes Suspended Animation both a relaxing and exciting experience at the same time, which is not something you’ll come across often these days, I think. Perfect for when you come home after a long day and just want to wind down but still have things to do. Love the drumming especially, and of course Dan’s vocals!
Sunshine Faces’ atmospheric lo-fi music puts a spell on me as soon as I start listening. There’s so much to discover on Quorum, from the nostalgic 'Some Kids You Knew’ or '78 Inches’ to sweet little pop numbers like 'Marshmallow’ or the almost hymnal 'Walking’s Half The Fun’, it’s like several albums in one. I didn’t really know anything about Sunshine Faces when I came across this album on Bandcamp, except it’s Noah Rawlings from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, but there’s a pretty interesting overview on Gold Flake Paint. Hopefully he’ll continue making this kind of intimate, enchanting experimental pop.
Love The Unicorn, from Italy, are yet another band I only just discovered in 2016, probably thanks to Polaroid. All of the songs on A Real Thing prove to be charmingly melodious and danceable which makes it an easy choice to listen to at any time of the day or night (and I’m a picky listener when it comes to daytimes, seasons, etc.). Although I’ve not had the pleasure yet I’m pretty sure they’re fun to see live too.
Another surprise discovery (and I’m not quite sure why I’d never heard of them before, seen anyone mention or play them…), and another love at first listen. I’d enjoy it even more if the second half of the album sounded more like the first, because, seriously, could anything sound more like Bart & Friends, who I love so dearly, than 'Coming Soon’? On top of that it has this little spoken word part and then usually I just can’t help falling in love.
Like the albums by Divino Niño and Leapling, City Sun Eater In The River Of Light has an easy, summery feel to it. It’s a great choice even for moments when you don’t really want to listen to anything but can’t stand silence either. Standout track 'Creature Comfort’ is perfect to put on repeat as it has an almost hypnotic effect. The same is true for 'Know Your Minute’, a song that is not included on the album but was released as a 7" split with Ultimate Painting.
If, like me, you can’t wait for the next The Goon Sax album to arrive, you might want to check out fellow Australians Chook Race. But of course that’s not the only reason why Around The House is well worth listening to. It possesses its own raw charm and energy, most prominent in songs like 'Pictures of You’ and 'Lost The Ghost’.
21 Impulsive Hearts – Sorry In The Summer
22 Lost Tapes – Let’s Get Lost
23 Cool Sounds – Dance Moves
24 Astronauts – End Codes
25 Get Well Soon – Love
26 Suburban Living – Almost Paradise
27 Young Romance – Another’s Blood
28 Daughter – Not to Disappear
29 Amber Arcades – Fading Lines
30 J Churcher – Borderland State
31 Olov Antonsson – Nere Och Ute I AC Län
32 Pavo Pavo – Young Narrator in the Breakers
33 Plastic Flowers – Heavenly
34 Bent Shapes – Wolves of Want
35 Trowler – Modern Holiday
36 Lake Ruth – Actual Entity
37 Wild Nothing – Life of Pause
38 Andy Shauf – The Party
39 Sea Pinks – Soft Days
40 Crescendo – Unless
41 The Real Numbers – Wordless Wonder
42 Teenage Fanclub – Here
43 Martha – Blisters In the Pit of My Heart
44 Sunny Intervals – Sunrise
45 Stephen Steinbrink – Anagrams
46 Ablebody – Adult Contemporaries
47 Seismograph – In Oblivion
48 Galapaghost – I Never Arrived
49 Teleman – Brilliant Sanity
50 Gringo Star – The Sides And In Between
Previous years:
Also check out these pretty cool lists by
This is one of the special songs that helped me get through 2007, the year that followed the death of my mum on this day exactly 10 years ago. ‘Lest I Forget’ captures in a few beautifully depicted scenes the invisible barrier that loss puts between you and everyone else.
I’m not sure whether it’s the 10 year mark or the fact that 2016 has been such a difficult year (both in the world and for me personally), but I’m feeling the weight of this a lot more than I’ve experienced in previous years. I don’t have more words today, but that’s why this song is perfect.
For your post Christmas blues: the winter playlist, with only a minimal dose of Christmas included, promise!
Bubblegum Lemonade - You Bring the Rain
The Holiday Crowd - Cheer Up
Young Romance - Wasting Time
Pavo Pavo - Ran Ran Run
Amber Arcades - Which Will
Suburban Living - Once/Twice
Olov Antonsson - En Decemberdröm
Fascinations Grand Chorus - Actor/Actress
E'spaniel - Just Another Day
Cigarettes After Sex - K
Milk Skin - Syrupy
Terribly Yours - Barbara
Hooton Tennis Club - Katy-Anne Bellis
Trowler - Walk Away
Motorama - Sign
Hypoluxo - In My Head It’s All Sand
Sodastream - Three Sins
Ablebody - The Sun, a Small Star
The Keep Left Signs - Modern Dilemmas
Day Wave - Wasting Time
Paravelle - Cascades
Stars Apart - Illuminating Heart
Pavo Pavo - Somewhere In Iowa
Enderby’s Room - Lakeside
The Holiday Crowd - After The Long Dash
Ginnels - My Eyes! My Ears!
The Haywains - Who Needs Summer?
Olov Antonsson - Det kan lika gärna bli september nu
The Real Numbers - Only Two Can Play
Tangible Excitement! - Northland Food Court
Bueno - Oh Lord I’m Confused
E'spaniel - Knots
Motorama - By Your Side
Suburban Living - Lovely Times
The Keep Left Signs - Wizards
Hypoluxo - Winter
San Cisco - B Side
Bubblegum Lemonade - The Only Constant Is Change
Fascinations Grand Chorus - When You Make up Your Mind
Young Romance - Room to Breathe
The Holiday Crowd - I Need This Bed To Myself
Milk Skin - Space Race
Ablebody - Heart Keep
Hideous Towns - Natural Expression
The Rural Alberta Advantage - White Lights
The Jayhawks - Lovers of the Sun
The Perfect English Weather - London In Your Eyes
Olov Antonsson - Johanna i parken
Bruising - I Don’t Mind
The Real Numbers - Wordless Wonder
Bueno - Mona
Trowler - Distraction Pieces
Roman Lakes - Cross Thread
Hypoluxo - Name Game
Pavo Pavo - No Mind
Suburban Living - How You Feel
Red Sleeping Beauty - We Are Magic
Leapling - Killing Time
Motorama - Loneliness
The Keep Left Signs - Tomorrow
Tangible Excitement! - Foxy Troubles
The Haywains - Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
Tinsel Heart from Malmö, Sweden just has to be your favourite new jangly indiepop band. Obviously inspired by Brighter and other bands on Sarah or Creation Records as well as the C86 scene, I feel their songs would fit in wonderfully with the always lovely Cloudberry Records. “We simply try to write and play the kind of pop music we would love to hear”, they explain, and I think it works really well for them! Debut EP Hey Boyfriend! is out now on Bandcamp.
Every now and again I like to mix up my usually upbeat indiepop with some darker tunes. Especially so it seems during the colder and darker months of the year, maybe because it corresponds with my mood and can even make me feel better than happy music. Brooklyn-based quartet Hypoluxo is definitely a band I’d place in that category. ‘In My Head It’s All Sand’ was an immediate favourite, while the rest of If Language has been a bit of a grower - in the best sense: I keep coming back to it and enjoy it a little more each time. Something about the vocals and song structures reminds me quite a bit of The National which, of course, can only be a good thing.
Listen/buy on Bandcamp.
‘Cascades’ is one of my favourite new songs I’ve discovered recently. I wasn’t able to find a lot about Paravelle, except that they are from Sydney, Australia. 2016 has been a great year for Australian music (The Goon Sax, Chook Race, The Newsletters, The Ocean Party are among my top albums/songs this year just to name a few) and Paravelle’s debut single is just another wonderful addition making me want to keep an eye out for more to come from this band.