Last week, I came across Pina Palau in an article about new Swiss music. The 33-year-old singer-songwriter lives in Zurich, works full-time as a resident physician in a psychiatric ward, rides a road bike, and has just released her third album, You Better Get Used To It.
Musically, there’s nothing that reminds me of Switzerland; it’s more like indie-folk. Somewhere between Waxahatchee, Courtney Barnett, and the dreamy sound of Bon Iver. Even though her voice sounds a bit thin, her song, backed by delicate guitar and steel guitar, has the potential to stick in your head.
As every year I compile a list of albums that was on on heavy rotation this year on my turntable, inspired me in any way or made me feel familiar with the music. I started a few weeks ago to collect a list and I couldn't decide which one doesn't make it on the final list of ten albums. For this reason fantastic albums by Daniel Avery, The Orb, Four Tet, Whyte Horses, SAULT, Kanaan or Little Barrie & Malcom Catto doesn't appear on the final list but are highly recommended. So here are ten albums without valuation.
Sonic Boom - All Things Being Equal: In the middle of the year former Spacemen 3 Pete Kember aka Sonic Boom released an album that has everything I expected from him. From spaced pop songs to Phil
Spector's wall of sound and everything in between is assembled on this beautiful album.
Michael Rother - Dreaming: After 16 years Michael Rother, one of the best living fossils from the golden krautrock days released a new album. From the first chords you realize that this guitar only could be played by the former member of Kraftwerk, Neu! and Harmonia. Timeless guitar phrases like played on his first album make a perfect combination with the voice of Sophie Joiner. Probably on of those albums that will be overlooked.
Waxahatchee - Saint Cloud: Katie Crutchfield released as Waxahatchee an album that could be filled under Americana but it is much more. Her voice, some big guitars, well-honed noise and battering sounds makes her different to many other singer-songwriters in these days and sometimes helped me making some days better this year.
Glok - Dissident Remixed: Last year one of the best albums and this year the remixes were played on heavy rotation when they were released. Andy Bell gave the tracks to some well known mates to develop the originals. Together they made their owns visions of the source material, delving into ambient techno, psychedelic acid disco, krautrock and beyond.
Rose City Bank - Summerlong: It seems like Ripley Johnson can't make any mistake in music. Either as Wooden Shjips or Moon Duo. Also laid back California psychedelic sounds are close to him. It is every time a pleasure listening to his beautiful guitar lines. A second album that has the same quality as the first.
Bob Mould - Blue Hearts: Every album by ex-member of Hüsker Dü Bob Mould is a good one. But this is maybe the best he recorded during the last years. He returns as an angry man shouting out what is going wrong in days like these. With the fury of Hüsker Dü he made the best songs since a long time.
Julian Cope - Self Civil War: This album is one of them I came back often this year. Not just because it shows how great Cope is. Returning after years on high level with 13 songs between his interpretation of rock music and krautrock added with orchestra and ballads. A weird bastard of an album but I love it.
The Long Champs - Straight To Audio: Welsh producer Lloyd Jones and his latest album was one of the discoveries I made this year. A collection of compositions that range from dancefloor to after hours drifting always with an upbeat mood and sinister soundscapes. This was a record that made the strange days of lockdown more brighter.
Richard Norris - Elements: The idea of making an album about earth, fire, water, air and space is probably not the first one ever but for me the best realization I heard. Far away from any cliché of modern music he invites us to a trip into ambient and space. An album that grew with every time I listened to.
Andy Bell - A View From Half Way Down: This album arrived in late autumn and I played it often since then. I like the perfect mixture of his warm interpretation of neo-psychedelia combined with shoegaze and dream-pop. For me the blueprint how an album should sound in 2020.
Velvet Dessert Music: Finally a compilation that was worth to be named in a year-end-list. Cologne's Kompakt-label released in spring a compilation of electronic variations of electronic sounds. The common sense of all is a new interpretation of dessert sounds. Sometimes it sounds like Ennio Morricone in a psychedelic style, sometimes like a downtempo variation of krautrock with psychedelia but always worth to come back to.
While working on my year end lists I remembered Waxahatchee's last album Saint Cloud. I almost forgot about the beauty of this album and ask myself why I didn't featured once when I saw them live on a festival a few years ago. Catie Crutchfield's southern roots and her combination of Americana and emotional ballads were outstanding this year.
After listening a longer time to music from the hard drive of my mobile phone I checked out some new music that was released during the last weeks. There were many outputs of albums and it is impossible to listen to them all. So I only checked out records by artists I know. There were less albums that made me want to listen more than one or two songs. Finally Lucy Dacus' new album Historian is worth to be recommended (David Byrne's new one is the other). Her first album from 2016 No Burden was not the one to be liked but enough to please. Pure indie-sound according to Courtney Barnett and Waxahatchee. She's another high talented indie singer-songwriter from USA and their songs often opens with a lone, clean guitar line and morph into a wall of distortion and cymbals. Most of the lyrics are very intimate and born on love and frustration.
It was years ago since I joined to a festival for several days. It was the last day and I felt pain in my feet. I wasn't used to stand for hours to watch the shows they offered me but at least I figured out the gigs I want to watch. The first band we watched was Waxahatchee, a singer-songwriter project from Katie Crushfield. Deeply based in the tradition of acoustic songwriters raised up with independent music she makes a very unique sound that fits the souls of the pre-Seattle sound. Very intensive and worth to listen to their record.
The next band that showed up in the tent was Mew from Denmark. I knew them from some different records they released during the last years.Their records are not bad, but I wanted to see them live and how their songs work live. I have to admit, that they played a gig that was perfect. But for me it was too perfect. They've got no soul in their song. So it was just another professional performance that was nice to watch but it wouldn't last. Sorry - but they missed a chance to get me on their side.
The next act I watched on the open air stage was Wanda, an Austrian band which came famous at the end of the last year. Seems like they found the sound and lyrics for nowadays young hipsters. They had a little hit at the end of last year with Bologna, a song that puts love in the center of their song.
If somebody asks where you go, say to Bologna!
If somebody s for which you stand, say for Amore to Amore!
It might be a statement for them and I think it's not the worthed one. Their show wasn't too bad, but it worked with the emotions and the hipster status they had. Nice to see and if you missed it it wasn't worth to complain about.
The last concert on this festival was by Fink. I followed this DJ for many years and was curious how the present their songs. Everything I expected was more than fulfilled. He was able to create a sound that is very special and very own. Mostly starting slowly with his songs he attempts to early 80s sounds and lead this into nowadays sounds. Me was very impressed how he started a simple blues schema and turned into a heavy improvised new wave/dancefloor sound. Very special, very new and very recommendable to you all.
