What a year it's been! Lots of tunes, albums even! I mean, the rest has been pretty crap, obviously... but you didn't need me to say that. So I'm gonna do a quick wrap of the albums I've listened to! My favourites, least favourites, what's gone up, what gone down... you get the idea.
Favourites
TRANSATLANTICISM
Man, what a great record. Aside from Death of an interior decorator, I genuinely love all the tracks here. The title track, expo 86 and the gut wrenching lack of color amongst all the other songs are just awesome. Of course I've gone deeper into the Death Cab discog, but none really come close- still good, but not on this level. Awesome record regardless.
Souvlaki
A record who's reputation precedes it, souvlaki has only grown from my initial glowing review. The textures and moods are unparalleled, the vocal work is great and the songwriting is so evocative and emotional. So easy to see why it's a classic.
Benji
This album has become a source of great comfort for me. Mark Kozilek's songwriting is human and intimate, the sonic landscapes and stories here are immediately relatable. An incredibly warm record.
Microphones in 2020
Microphones in 2020 has opened the gates to the rest of Phil Elverum's albums to me. The Glow pt 2, Mt eerie, no flashlight, dawn: winter journal and a crow looked at me are fast becoming records I cherish, and hope to continue cherishing.
Velocity:Design:Comfort
Truly an otherworldly record. 70-odd minutes of pure glitchy, shoegaze-y escapism. Not for everyone, but the people it's for it really is.
Least favourites
The Slow Rush
I have hardly thought about this album since it's release... Tomorrow's Dust is the only track I've been back to soully because it fit a vibe for a tape in my car, which is exemplary of the purpose of these tracks- they're filler tracks for playlists. So few of these tracks stand on their own, or in an album context. Sadly that's what lots of artists do to cash in on spotify now. I still have fond memories of the opener and closer but that's not reason enough to re-listen to the record.
My teenage dream ended
Needs no introduction- and my opinions haven't really changed. Crap? Yeh. Interesting? Yeh. Re-listen value? Almost none. It is what it is.
Song machine
No words. Pure shite record.
What's gone up?
Life is full of possibilities
This album is so underrated! How it hasn't grown in reputation amongst some of the best electronic releases of all time blows my mind, it creates and inhabits it's own world absolutely. And of course, Evan and Chan is utterly transcendent.
Get behind me satan
So many solid tunes here! I've even come round on The Nurse. The live versions, as with many white stripes' cuts, bring a new energy to the songs, and here is no exception. Great album.
I'm all ears
The tunes here are so good. The production and sounds are awesome and have so much personality, seriously hoping for a record from these guys in 2021.
What's gone down?
Honestly, not a whole load of records... if albums get alot worse in the first few listens I tend to drop them before they get reviewed. But if I had to pick 1 I'd say:
13
13 is not a bad album. It's actually a good album- just not as good as I maybe first thought. It's got tunes, but I just don't find myself returning to it all that often. I still respect the creative decisions the band took, but I just don't dig it the whole way thru. It's cool.
Wrapping up
Despite 2020 being not great I have found some great albums. For what that's worth. Lots of albums I have and haven't written about have served as escapism, if nothing else, and coping mechanisms for hard times. Which I suppose is what music is meant to do.
What's next?
I'll probably continue. Until i get bored i guess. I like writing about music so I'll probably continue. I spend alot of time listening to music so I'll not run out of stuff to talk to. So yeh, I'll keep going on. Let's hope 2021 is slightly better, at least, than 2020.
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