That Was 2007 (#5)

F*** it. I’m sure I’ve written this post before but I can’t find it anywhere. Bollocks. Anyhow, here’s the final 5 tracks from my 2007 – hopefully finishing this off will lead to the traffic picking up a bit beyond terminal level.

Aereogramme – Nightmares (from the one with the long name)[Buy or download it]

No sooner had I decided that I liked Aerogramme than they spilt up. Bugger. Still their final was packed with sweeping orchestral epics and is worth checking out.

The Raveonettes – Dead Sound (from ‘Lust’Lust, Lust’) [Buy it] [Download it]

Another band that I finally caught up with last year, ‘Lust, Lust, Lust’ perhaps focussed more on the tunes than the noise but there was still plenty of noise on offer.

Malcolm Middleton – Superhero Songwriters (from ‘A Brighter Beat’) [Buy it]

F***ing genius. Blah de blah. Talented singer-songwriter. Yada yada. I know I’m in danger of becoming a Middleton bore but if this majestic epic doesn’t convince you to buy the f***ing LP, then nothing will. Then buy the new one ‘Sleight of Heart’, out soon.

The Big Sleep – Murder (from ‘Son Of The Tiger’) [Buy it] [Download it]

This LP seems to get better with every play and the good news is that the new album is just a couple of weeks away. Here the driving instrumentation is perfectly complemented/contrasted by the vocals. Good, good, good.

Sophia – Lost (She Believes In Angels) (from ‘Technology Won’t Save Us’) [Buy it] [Download it]

Another catch-up this year but TWSU is a superb LP ranging from acoustic to noise via anthemic rock songs. Hopefully 2008 will bring us a new Sophia LP.

That Was 2007 (# 4)

Another five tracks on my 2007:

Saturation Point – Two Point Four (from ‘Two’) [Buy it]

Not strictly speaking from last year at all, but who’s counting? As good a post-rock outfit as there is out there, Saturation Point are working on new material and, on the evidence of their 3 LPs to date, it can’t come quickly enough.

Thurston Moore – Trees Outside The Academy (from ‘Trees Outside The Academy’) [Buy it]

Another instrumental and another goodie, the title track from MPT’s LP of the year not only brings to mind Sonic Youth but also Frank Balck AND features J Mascis. Not terribly representative of the LP perhaps but nevertheless terribly, terribly good.

Idlewild – In Competition (For The First Time) (from ‘Make A New World’) [Buy it]

Those reviewers who only listened to the first side of the LP reckoned it was a return to the hard rocking Idlewild of old but those who listened all the way through knew that wasn’t the case. It seems the band’s increasing maturity in song-writing divides fans but this was another good LP.

TV21 – It’s Me (from ‘Future Revisited’ EP) [Buy it]

‘It’s Me’ was recorded for their initial Peel session but was subsequently rejected and languished in obscurity until revived for the band’s first release in almost 25 years. It’s a good indication of what they sound like today and there’s a headlining gig happening on the 8^th of February at Bannermans in Edinburgh at which you can expect new material.

The National – Mistaken For Strangers (from ‘Boxer’) [Buy it]

This lot have featured a lot recently around MPT Mansions and this is probably the stand-out track from the excellent ‘Boxer’ LP. Poiinting out ‘Boxer’ as an excellent LP in December was hardly a scoop but at least one person around these parts hadn’t heard them before so perhaps I’m not totally wasting my time.

That Was 2007 (#3)

Five more tracks from the last year (or so):

Kristin Hersh – Winter (from ‘Learn To Sing Like A Star’) [Buy it]

This was without question one of my favourite tracks of the year. You must know by now how much I rate its parent LP but Kristin’s latest material sounds like it could well be just as good.

We Were Promised Jetpacks – Quiet Little Voices

Up and coming Scots whose edgy post punk influenced material is getting noticed. Their second (?) free-at-gigs EP, from which this is taken, marks a step forward from their last and is well worth trying to get a hold of. Try their Myspace.

Arcade Fire – No Cars Go (from ‘Neon Bible’) [Buy it]

‘Neon Bible’ was undoubtedly my biggest musical disappointment of the year and the fact that the best track on it dated back to the debut EP is perhaps as good a way of illustrating that as anything. Sadly there was nothing here to touch the highs of ‘Funeral’

Interpol – Pioneer To The Falls (from ‘Our Love To Admire’) [Buy it]

That ‘Our Love …’ didn’t touch the heights of ‘Turn On The Bright Lights’ wasn’t so much of a surprise but it was still disappointing. It seems that Interpol have little new left to say although this was one of the better songs on the LP.

The Triffids – Save What You Can (from ‘Calenture’) [Buy it]

The Triffids reissue programme has been a great example of how to handle this sort of thing and it has also allowed me to re-assess (upwards) the worth of this LP, which was never my favourite. ‘Save What You Can’ is David McComb at his most universal and none the worse for that.

That Was 2007 (#2)

Today’s five tracks from last year are:

The Twilight Sad – That Summer, At Home I Had Become The Invisible Boy (from Fourteen Autumns and Fifteen Winters) [Buy it]

Probably the stand-out from the Twilight Sad’s excellent debut LP, be warned that this track features a rather naughty word.

Micah P Hinson – The Day Texas Sank To The Bottom Of The Sea (from ‘Micah P. Hinson and the Gospel of Progress’) [Buy it]

Yes, it dates back from 2004 but having only discovered Mr Hinson this year, I feel I should bring him to your attention. Definitely an LP worth getting a hold of.

Bob Mould – Underneath Days (live) (from ‘Circle of Friends’) [Buy it]

One of the highlights from Bob’s last LP, this version is taken from the superlative live DVD which features tracks from throughout his career. It nicely filled the gap pending the release of new LP ‘District Line’ next month.

The Decemberists – The Crane Wife 3 (from ‘The Crane Wife’) [Buy it]

I’ve never quite got round to buying the LP (although I will) but this is an excellent track which I got from one of the Uncut CDs early in the year. Very nice.

The McCarricks – Letter From Nagoya (from ‘The McCarricks’) [Buy it]

The McCarricks were an integral part of both Krisitn Hersh’s excellent LP and live show earlier this year . But they also released their own mini-LP, which is pretty unique. And I’ve only just made the Banshees connection.

That Was 2007 (#1)

The next few posts will look back on some of my favourite tracks of last year. They’re not all from 2007 but I first heard them all last year. OK, here’s the first batch in no particular order – for a week only:

The Phantom Band – Throwing Bones (7” single) [Buy it]

In a year in which I didn’t buy that many singles, ‘Throwing Bones’ was my favourite. In fact it’s absolutely brilliant taken along with their Myspace, suggests that the currently being recorded debut LP should be a good ‘un.

The Kissaway Trail – 61 (from ‘The Kissaway Trail’) [Buy it]

Melodic Danes who signed up to Bella Union amid a degree of hype but never quite cracked the charts. The LP’s good though and this is probably, possibly the highlight.

Desert Hearts – Gravitas (from ‘Hotsy Totsy Nagasaki’) [Buy it]

One of the discoveries of the year, both DH LPs are great but, ‘Hotsy Totsy Nagaasaki (from whence this comes) is the better of the two. A great single which builds the tension nicely. Will there be a new Desert Hearts LP in 2008? I certainly hope so. Oh, they’re playing in Glasgow and Edinburgh on 15th and 16th February. Woo-hoo!

Manic Street Preachers – Your Love Alone Is Not Enough (from ‘Send Away The Tigers’) [Buy it]

I only got the Manics’ ‘Send Away The Tigers’ at the end of the year and there are some good songs on it. Yes, they’re back to doing what they do best but in 6 months time, if I fancy a little MSP, will I reach for SATT or ‘Everything Must Go’? I think I know the answer.

The Early Years – Say What You Want To (from ‘The Great Awakening’) [Buy it]

I enjoyed the Early Years’ debut LP in 2006 enough to put it at number 7 in my end of year list. This was the excellent lead track off their only release of the year – ‘The Great Awakening’, a 4 track EP which keeps things ticking over nicely.

2007 – Top 10 Albums – 5-1

5 The Twilight Sad – Fourteen Autumns and Fifteen Winters

As far as I was concerned the Twilight Sad came out of nowhere. Yet they arrived fully formed with this sweeping epic of a record, even if it took a little while to properly lodge itself in my head. Whilst live their wash of guitars is reminiscent of My Bloody Valentine on record there are plenty of little instrumental touches to broaden their sonic range. Underneath its rough hewn production, ‘14 Autumns …’ hinted at stadium potential so it will be fascinating to see what they do next but this will do very nicely for now.

The Twilight Sad – Walking For Two Hours (from ‘Fourteen Autumns and Fifteen Winters’) [Buy it]

MPT said: “A Scottish accent, it seems, is no longer a barrier to progress”

4 The National – Boxer

I’d just never picked up on this lot until very recently so ‘Boxer’ was a very pleasant surprise. Despite being very much mid-paced, in fact not dissimilar to REM’s disappointing ‘Around The Sun’, these tunes aren’t obvious yet seem to have the potential to be keepers. Being so dilatory in picking up on them meant that I missed them live but somehow that doesn’t seem to matter too much for such a good record with its own distinctive atmosphere.

The National – Start A War (from ‘Boxer’) [Buy it]

MPT said: “It has the sort of subtle tunes that don’t blow you away immediately but suggest long term staying power”

3 Kristin Hersh – Learn To Sing Like A Star’

 

I confess I’ve not always been wild about some of Kristin’s previous solo LPs but ‘Learn To Sing Like A Star’ was certainly the exception to that rule. Quite possibly her most accessible record ever, under any guise, ‘LTSLAS’ was packed to the gunnels with quality songs with fabulous backing from the McCarricks on strings. An album to treasure.

Kristin Hersh – The Thin Man (from ‘Learn To Sing Like A Star’) [Buy it]

MPT said: “On the first listen LTSLAS is definitely one of the good ones and, in fact, could be her best yet.”

2 Malcolm Middleton – A Brighter Beat

 

Somehow, Malky managed to produce an LP which was every bit as good and consistent as 2005’s ‘Into The Woods’. Split into a two distinctive sides, the first was more upbeat than his previous solo efforts whilst the second proved that he hasn’t lost his touch with the ballads. And, just good measure, he even made the Christmas Top 40! A good year then for Mr Middleton which almost inevitably ended with him talking about splitting up with himself!

Malcolm Middleton – Up Late At Night Again (from ‘A Brighter Beat’) [Buy it]

MPT said: “‘Into The Woods’ released in 2005, was one of the finest records of recent years so ‘A Brighter Beat’ has a lot to live up to. Thankfully it does exactly that.”

1 Thurston Moore – Trees Outside The Academy

I would have been pretty dismissive of anyone who suggested 12 months ago that my album of the year for 2007 would be a Thurston Moore solo acoustic LP. But it just goes to show what I know. The first time I heard this was on my Walkman and I really had to work hard not to make a spectacle of myself in public by dancing around M&S!

Recent Sonic Youth LPs have been far from bad but Thurston sounds reinvigorated by the different instrumental approach on TOTA. Sure, there are echoes of SY’s aural assault throughout. But the simplicity of the approach combined with a great batch of songs made for a brilliant record.

 

Don’t be put off by the SY solo record tag – this truly deserves a much wider audience.

Thurston Moore – The Shape Is In A Trance (from ‘Trees Outside The Academy’) [Buy it]

MPT said: “Thurston Moore’s latest solo outing, ‘Trees Outside The Academy’ is really rather fucking wonderful.”