Posted slightly earlier than normal because as of 23rd December, I'm going to be avoiding computers and the Internet for a week as Claire and I go and freeze our arses off next to the mighty North Sea.
So, here it is, my annual posting of all the music I've bought/downloaded/ripped in the last 12 months. Obviously I've listened to more than this from my existing collection, on the radio or out and about but this is what I've (largely) spent money on, been given or hired from the local library.
This year there won't be any large analysis of the list, other than to say: Animal Collective's 'Merriweather Post Pavillion' was the most disappointing release of the year (one idea repeated), closely followed by Bonnie Prince Billy's 'Beware'; Akron/Family's 'Set 'Em Wild, Set 'Em Free' was my favourite release of the year, the one I've returned to the most, closely followed by Billy Childish's 'Archive From 1959'; Kode9 + The Spaceape's 'Memories of the Future' was the 'how did I miss that when it was originally released' revelation of the year and World Domination Enterprises' 'Let's Play Domination, The Analogue Remix' the best re-release of the year.
Various - Kickin' Hitler's Butt, Vintage Anti-Fascist Songs 1940 - 1944
Bloc Party - Intimacy
Joe Gibbs and the Professionals - African Dub All-Mighty: Chapters 1 & 2
The P Brothers - The Gas
Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavillion
Circlesquare - Songs About Dancing and Drugs
Peter Molinari - A Virtual Landslide
The The - Infected
Spiritualized - Songs In A + E
The Stooges - The Stooges
Frank Turner - Love Ire Songs + The First Three Years
Micah P Hinson - Micah P Hinson & The Red Empire Orchestra
Various - I'm Your Fan: The Songs Of Leonard Cohen
Various - The Story Of The Blues
N.A.S.A - The Spirit Of Apollo
Various - Dark Was The Night
Iggy Pop & The Stooges - Raw Power
Various - The Imagined Village
Jah Wobble - Chinese Dub
The BPA - I Think We're Gonna Need A Bigger Boat
Depeche Mode - The Best of Depeche Mode Vol 1
Kode9 - Black Sun/2 Far Gone
Various - Wire Trapper 21
Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - Beware
Screaming Blue Messiahs - Live at the BBC
Lou Reed - Live in Italy
Run DMC - The Best of
The Velvet Underground - VU
Micachu - Jewellery
PJ Harvey & John Parish - A Woman a Man Walked By
Lou Reed - Street Hassle
Aphex Twin - Selected Ambient Works 85-92
David Bowie - Aladdin Sane, Low
Bob Dylan - Dylan box set
Beastie Boys - Check Your Head, Ill Communication
Killing Joke - Killing Joke
Fugazi - Repeater + 3 Songs
Super Furry Animals - Dark Days/Light Years
Chicks On Speed - 99 cents
DJ Shadow - Endtroducing
Lou Reed - Rock n Roll Animal
Forever Delayed - Manic Street Preachers
Prince Buster - FABulous Greatest Hits
The Broken Family Band - Please and Thank You
Jeffrey Lewis and The JunkYard - 'Ere Am I
The Nightingales - Insult to Injury
Crass - Feeding The 5000
Akron/Family - Set 'Em Wild, Set 'Em Free
David Byrne - Everything That Happens Will Happen On This Tour
Madness - The Liberty of Norton Folgate
Kronos Quartet - Floodplain
Culture - Two Sevens Clash
Lou Reed's Metal Machine Trio - The Creation Of The Universe
Iggy Pop - Preliminaires
British Sea Power - Man of Aran
White Denim - Fits
Neutral Milk Hotel - In the Aeroplane Over The Sea
A Hawk And A Hacksaw - Darkness At Noon
The Zydepunks - Exile Waltz
Billy Childish - Archive From 1959: The Billy Childish Story
Crass - Best Before
The XX - X
Camera Obsura - My Maudlin Life
XTC - Black Sea
Iggy Pop & James Williamson - Kill City
Alan Price - O Lucky Man
Beastie Boys - Too Many Rappers
Mos Def - The Ecstatic
Arctic Monkeys - Humbug
Augustos Pablo - East of the River Nile
Rage Against The Mahine - Rage Against The Machine
Gang Of Four - Solid Gold/Another Day, Another Dollar
Junior Murvin - Police & Thieves
Burning Spear - Marcus Garvey/Garvey's Ghost 100th Anniversary
World Domination Enterprises - Let's Play Domination, The Analogue Remix
Amanda Palmer - Who Killed Amanda Palmer
Warp20 (Recreated)
Warp20 (Chosen)
The Dead Weather - Horehound
Woody Guthrie - My Dusty Road
Massive Attack - Splitting The Atom EP
Thom Yorke - Feeling Pulled Apart By Horses
Amanda Palmer - Who Killed Amanda Palmer
Bill Callahan - Woke On A Whaleheart
Various - 5 Years Of Hyperdub
Richard Hawley - Coles Corner, Truelove's Gutter
Sufjan Stevens - The BQE
The Fall - This Nation's Saving Grace
Devendra Banhart - What Will We Be
Public Image Ltd. - John Peel Session (10th December 1979)
The Doors - The Doors, Strange Days, LA Woman
Public Image Ltd. - Flowers of Romance
Kode9 + The Spaceape - Memories of the Future
King Midas Sound - Waiting For You
Spiritualized - Ladies and Gentleman We Are Floating in Space
Public Image Ltd. - Public Image
The Stranglers - Rattus Norvegicus
Horace Andy - Feel Good All Over, Anthology 1970 - 1976
7 comments:
I've been (re) listening to a bit of Lou Reed this year too, particularly live albums, RnR Animal is astounding, but my favourite has been Take No Prisoners, particularly the version of Coney Island Baby sends shivers down the back of my neck.
I heard Gary Numan and Little Boots slaughter Venus in Furs on 6music the other day. That song is pretty much sacrosanct in my opinion - the only person who is allowed to fuck it up is Lou Reed, which he does quite often on Live albums.
I got heavily into Blue Mask (again) last year and this year worked out what Spotify is for - listening to all those 'lost' 1980s Lou Reed albums I never bothered with before, to see if there were any remotely close to Blue Mask. They aren't.
Hmmm, there's a point. Maybe I'll have to start including Spotify playlists on 'This is what a year sounds like…' Next year maybe.
Speaking of Venus in Furs covers (haven't heard the Numan/Boots, on paper it looks like a bad idea), have you seen/heard Beck's Record Club where he covers the entire Velvet Underground & Nico album?
It's done as a blog so you have to back track back through it from here:
http://www.beck.com/sections/2?page=3
He also does Songs of Leonard Cohen and some Skip Spence tracks. Davendra's in there at some points, and there's videos.
It's kind of what you might expect, all live one take stuff, but has some interesting moments.
Thanks for the tip off - as I started playing guitar again for the first time in about 15 years, I've been working through some obvious covers. Currently enjoying Devandra destroying 'So Long, Marianne', one on my list to learn.
The Sweet's 'Blockbuster' is coming along nicely.
Set all the Record Club videos of VU & N to play at once.
well that'll save a bit of time!
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