1981 was that year when a lot of new bands appeared on the scene. Most of them had their roots in post-punk and new wave and many of them didn't made a bigger career. Not because they weren't good enough but probably because they sounded similar to other bands that made it big or they didn't got the right promotion. One of those bands were Manchester's The Chameleons. Their music has the same gloomy mood like The Cure and Joy Division but they always tried to involve pop into their sound. I bought their debut Script Of The Bridge and was fascinated of their songs. All of them are timeless and I can hear their influence in today's bands like Slowdive or The National. This is a great legacy for an underrated band.
Here comes the rest of the show of albums that impressed me very much this year. Slowdive is a band that was named together with other shoegaze bands but for me they were always Mogwai's little brother that could also play great ballads over extended guitar and synth patterns. everything is alive could be their breakthrough to a wider audience.
Konformer is a three piece band from Nuremberg, Germany that I got aware by recommendation by Adam from Bagging Area earlier this year. Five instrumentals on their self titled LP are all awesome, just because I don't know any band at this time making cosmic and dark inspired music like they do.
Kevin Rowland is back with another album I bought blind before I ever heard any song of it. Just because he can't make any worse record for me. And my high expectations were fulfilled. Northern soul inspired songs alternate with intimate ballads. Certainly a record that will be played often at my place.
David Holmes was very busy this year and while I prepared this list he released Blind On A Galloping Horse an album that is ahead of many others. Together with Raven Violet he showed his spectrum in electronic music. There was no filler on this record and probably a masterpiece.
From Edinburgh multi-instrumentalist John Brydon appeared as Eyes Of Other, a band many people could agree. It is impressive how many ideas he combined into a very unique sound. One of those albums you could play in a row without getting bored.
During the last days I made thoughts about a year end list and listened to various albums I owned during the last months and I asked myself why Slowdive didn't appeared on this pages during the last months. Everything Is Alive is another album by them that is far over the average of other released records. Slowdive are filled under shoegaze but this is not all. For me they are one of the best in slow-motion rock. A reduced speed and space for guitar excursions are their trademarks. I was lucky enough to see them several times live and at every venue they fascinated me with their sound. Their last album shows less more than I expected on a high level but there was one song that grabbed me. The instrumental Prayer Remembered is a song that could appear on a late record by The Cure in the days of Seventeen Seconds or Pornography. What in and of itself would be great praise. If someone shouldn't be familiar with their sound, this song will be a perfect entrance into.
Anders Trentemøller is back with a few new songs after a couple of new songs as well as the Danish team in the European championship. With his new songs he move back to his early influences like Joy Division or Slowdive. Shaded Moon starts like an outtake of a session by Joy Division and The Cure with a deep tuned bass and moves towards pulsating synths. An unexpected and superb return by him and one of the best songs this year so far.
The more I listen to new music the more I think by myself I heard this long time before. Of course there are artists that try new things or experimentalize on new sounds. But this is mostly in the electronic scene - most of the indie influenced bands try to copy popular sounds from times ago. I presume that the record company leads them to - probably to start a reunion of the sound with their band in front of the revival. These days a lot of bands are appear on the scene trying to copy the sound of the first shoegaze bands like Slowdive, Ride or MBV and it often that I skip the song after one minute. But sometimes you will find a nugget in new releases. So was Swebeacb, a song by Westkust, a band from Gothenburg, Sweden. Massive distorted guitars as the floor for Julia Bjernelind's voice makes this song sounding like an outtake from an early session by Ride
The original plan of this list was to look back to albums that inspired me or were on heavy rotation at my place this year. Therefore I planned a series with six episodes showing this music in different categories. I also planned writing the post during my holidays until Christmas. As you know things happen and nothing is the same any more. So I finish this series with a little overview of some kind that was on my mind and most of lists are written by you mates.
Have a great start into 2018.
One of the best albums in 2017 were presented by veterans that appeared suddenly and unexpected. These albums found their way to my turntable and stayed there for long times. Best example was Michael Head and the Red Elastic Band. With Adios Senor Pussycat he appeared with a monument of an album filled with superb songs.
You can add Nick Heyward and Mark Lanegan to this category and there are many songs to feature at this place (what happened during the year). But I have to name Peter Perret and Marc Almond right now.
Another category was reserved for guitar based bands. Mogwai, Spoon and The Horrors released great albums but I decided now to give Slowdive the place to appear once again. Not only for the return after almost 20 years in absence.
In retrospect these artists should be referred because they also released great and unique music this year:
Jane Weaver / The Afghan Wigs / The Charlatans / Algiers / Thurston Moore / A Tribe Called Quest / Jesus and Mary Jane / Richard Thompson / ...
After two days of inspiration in new music the festival turned into the last day. We all were lucky that the weather gave us a perfect background for an open air festival. The forecast told us that this will be dry as the days before but the degrees will rise up to 35 degrees celcius. Never the less we went soon after lunch time for the first artists to listen to.
First band today was Mitski, lead by Mitski Miyawaki from New York. Playing their very own kind of indie music. Just between collage rock and pure indie. Lead by a great bass and unique guitar licks they persuaded me. A great and underrated band that works live as well as on the album. Real good hymns combined with their energy of playing live makes them worth listening to still.
After listening to Whitney, another folk inspired band from the US (they weren't bad at all but at will to me, because I don't remember any song of them) the first highlight of today entered the main stage. It was the Thurston Moore Group playing songs from their latest album added with classics by Sonic Youth. I never had the chance to see Sonic Youth before the more I was impressed about playing his guitar. Since know I know actually why TM was named as one of the best guitar players of all time. He made his solos not for himself like many others, they were more a substantial piece of the songs. Happy enough watching him live we took a rest in the shade to sit down and run away from the shadeless stages to watch a so called Fuck up night. We both had no idea what will happen to us but we were surprised about the general aim of this show. It means nothing more or less that a few people talk about their mistakes in (business) life and how they survived and giving the audience the possibility to learn about their mistakes. Weird experience for me.
The next artist to was a new experience to me. I knew Edward Ka-Spel as the leading member of the early 80's Legendary Pink Dots, which played a unique mixture of psychedelic inspired, art-rock and folk. Amanda Palmer of the Dresden Dolls was a huge fan of LPD and a few years ago they started a collaboration. Finally they created a dark and slow sound with psychedelic and folk ingredients of Ka-Spels's background and Palmers music influenced by Bauhaus, The Cure and Robyn Hitchcock. Not the music for everyone but for me they took me to an one hour trip into another kind of music,
Next artist was Primal Scream and Bobbie Gillespie and I don't have to tell anyone of you about them. It was 70 minutes of pure fun. Playing the best from their last year's record Chaosmosis and a lot of songs they released during the last decades. Nothing more than fun.
The last band on the festival was one of those who gave us one of the best records in this year so far. Slowdive played a fantastic set as far as I could see (I had to leave after 50 minutes to catch my train home). Known as a shoe gazing legend they were more to me because they got the balance between Pink Floyd influenced music with the best of post-punk. Timeless music for almost every one which is involved in the named genres.
Almost a year ago I posted a song by a band that was new to me. Now Cigarettes After Sex announced to release their first full length record during the next months. It is not only the name that made me investigate for them. CAS are an American ambient pop band formed by Greg Gonzales nearly 10 years ago. His music is slow combination of Slowdive, Mazzy Starr and sometimes Cockteau Twins and straightened backwards desire to things that happened once. For me this Sunday morning couldn't start better with this song. Looking forward to see them live this June (and Slowdive as well). In a few hours I will go to support my favourite team against Dresden. Not knowing what will happen because they classified this as a high risk game.
Shauna is doing a well job promoting new artists. On last bank holiday I checked out the emails about new artists from the last months. I was astonished how many great artists appeared on the scene and I didn't heard any note so far. In fact that I will go for holiday to Florida tomorrow for two weeks (I think there will be no more posts until I come back) there are some bands you ought to listen. Young, fresh and deeply based in 80's tradition.
First I want to introduce probably Melbourne's best new psychedelic band. Some might file them under shoegaze but they have more to offer than this. This song could be great if it was released 20 years ago. A bizarre mixture of rhythmic guitar chords overlaid with a sweet sound of the leading voice.
The next one's are from Boston based band Dyr Fazer. It is a 3-peace ensemble making a very unique mixture of darkwave, psychedelic, shoegaze, Krautrock and dream-pop. Very worth to listen and if they could get enough airplay they might get more well known.
In conclusion another band that could be typed to shoegaze. Stella Diana is a band from Naples/Italy. Influenced by classic post-punk bands like Joy Division, The Chameleons, Durutti Column and the Echoe's the combine it with 90's bands like Pale Saints and Slowdive. Very good songs from a record released a few month ago. Try and make a decision of your own.
In addition to my yesterday post by Minor Victories I grabbed out Pygmalion the third and last album by Slowdive released in 1995. Away from their former dreamy guitar sound they reduced their sound to a more minimalist guitar influenced ambient sound. A perfect sound for a time on your own and still good to listen to them songs almost decades later.
Minor Victories released new songs these days from their coming first record. They are a collaboration of members of Slowdive, Mogwai and Editors. The vocals on Scattered Ashes were by James Graham of The Twilight Sad. Many call the an independent supergroup but for me it is just another charming band playing frisky songs. Some ethereous but always with a reluctant guitars. I really like the choir and the strings on this record.
If you name your band Cigarettes After Sex you can be sure that you get more attention as you name them The Chairs for example. But you have to deserve this attention in your songs. And they deserved this requirement well. It's a indie/slowcore band originally located in El Paso and started again a few years ago in NYC. To describe their sound is difficult. The vocals remind me to Slowdive, the bass line seens to be an evil, dark version from The Pixies, the reluctant guitar could be played by the Cowboy Junkies and the organ to a pop version of Suicide. All in all music borrowed from great artist, mixed in a very own way and not the worst start for a Sunday morning.
