Albums of the Year 2019

That was a year of some great music with established artists producing new material and plenty of challenging new artists making an impact. It's always a difficult task to narrow it down to just 10 albums but here's my selection of the best of 2019. I've provided a selection of tracks from each of the albums, so please have a listen and let me have your comments and contributions.

1. The National - I Am Easy to Find





2. Bon Iver - i,i





3. Michael Kiwanuka - KIWANUKA





4. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Ghosteen





5. Beirut - Gallipoli





6. Loyle Carner - Not Waving, But Drowning





7. Kate Tempest - The Book of Traps & Lessons





8. Sean O'Hagan - Radum Calls, Radum Calls 





9. Jenny Lewis - On The Line






10.  Elbow - Giants of All Sizes





Bubbling under: Beck- Hyperspace,  Iggy Pop - Free, The Comet is Coming - The Afterlife, The Specials - Encore, John Coltrane - Blue World.

Albums of the Year 2018

What a great year for music it's been with some established artists producing innovative new material and plenty of new bands coming through. It's always a difficult task to narrow it down to just 10 albums but here's my selection of the best of 2018. I've provided a selection of tracks from each of the albums, so please have a listen and let me have your comments and contributions.

1. James - Living in Extraordinary Times

2. Paul Weller - True Meanings

3. Arctic Monkeys - Tranquility Base Hotel and Casino

4. Kamasi Washington - Heaven and Hell

5. David Byrne - American Utopia

6. Angelique Kidjo - Remain in Light

7. Young Fathers - Cocoa Sugar

8. Villagers - The Art of Pretending

9. Josh Rouse - Love in the Modern Age

10. The Coral - Move Through The Dawn

Albums Of The Year 2017

This year it's been a very difficult task to narrow it down to just 10 albums but here's my selection of the best of 2017.  I've provided a selection of tracks from each of the albums, so please have a listen/watch and let me have your comments and contributions.


1. The War of Drugs - A Deeper Understanding




2. The National - Sleep Well Beast




3. Elbow - Little Fictions




4. Michael Head And The Red Elastic Band - Adiós Señor Pussycat




5.  Future Islands - The Far Field




6. The XX - I See You




7. St Vincent - Masseducation




8. The Charlatans _ Different Days




9. LCD Soundsystem - American Dream




10. Beck - Colors




Bubbling under:
Grizzly Bear - Painted Ruins;  British Sea Power - Let The Dancers Inherit The Party;  Laura Marling - Semper Femina;  Alt  J - Relaxer;  Arcade Fire - Everything Now;  Everything Everything - A Fever Dream;  Paul Weller - A Kind Revolution; Fleet Foxes - Crack Up.

2016’s best albums

2016 has been a very strange year for all kinds of reasons but amidst all the doom and gloom there's at least been some positive creative forces at work, so here's my list of the top 10 albums of the year. I've provided a selection of tracks from each of the albums, so please have a listen/watch and let me have your comments and contributions.

1. Bon Iver - 22. A Million




2.  David Bowie - Blackstar




3. James - Girl At The End Of The World




4.  Richard Ashcroft - These People




5. Angel Olsen - My Woman




6. Radiohead - A Moon Shaped Pool




7. Iggy Pop - Post Pop Depression




8. Last Shadow Puppets - Everything You've Come To Expect




9. Nick Cave - Skeleton Tree




10.  Wild Beasts - Boy King

The 15 Best Albums of 2015

It's that time of the year again, so here's my list of the top 15 albums of 2015. I've provided a selection of tracks from each of the albums, so please have a listen/watch and let me have your comments and contributions.

1. New Order - Music Complete

2.  Paul Weller - Saturn's Pattern

3. The Charlatans - Modern Nature 

4. Unknown Mortal Orchestra - Multi-Love

5. Black Rivers - The Forest

6. The Decemberists - What a Terrible World, What a Wonderful World

7. Guy Garvey - Courting the Squall

8. Foals - What Went Down

9. Everything, Everything - Get to Heaven

10. Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds - Chasing Yesterday

11. Joanna Newsom - Divers

12. Richard Hawley - Hollow Meadows

13. Laura Marling - Short Movie

14.Django Django - Born Under Saturn

15. Alabama Shakes - Sound and Color

The Top Ten Albums of 2014

Here's my list of the top ten albums of 2014. I've provided a selection of tracks from each of the albums, so please have a listen/watch and let me have your comments and contributions.

1. Elbow - New York Morning from the Take Off and Landing of Everything.

2. The War on Drugs - Under Pressure from the album Lost in the Dream

3. James - Moving On from the album La Petite Mort

4. Beck - Blue Moon from the album Morning Phase

5. Wild Beasts - Wanderlust from the album Present Tense

6. Damon Albarn - Heavy Seas of Love from the album Everyday Robots

7. Cherry Ghost - Clear Skies Ever Closer from the album Herd Runners

8. Sharon Van Etten - Taking Chances from the Album Are We There

9. Future Islands - Seasons Change (Waiting on You) from the album Singles

10. Gruff Rhys - American Interior from the album American Interior

The Top Ten Albums of 2013

Here's the almost famous Open Neck Shirt top ten albums of 2013. My favourite album of the year is 'AM' by the Arctic Monkeys. I know it's maybe an obvious choice but I think it stands above everything else that's been produced this year. Having said that the other nine are well worth a listen too.

As always, please let me have your comments and contributions.

1. Arctic Monkeys - AM

2. Prefab Sprout - Crimson Red

3. Midlake - Antiphon

4. Laura Mvula - Sing To The Moon

5. The National - Trouble Will Find Me

6. Arcade Fire - Reflektor

7. Laura Marling - Once I Was An Eagle

8. The Villagers - Awayland

9. Foals - Holy Fire

10. Noah and the Whale - Heart of Nowhere

Prefab Sprout's new album Crimson/Red

The Best Jewell Thief In The World 

This is a great track from the Prefab Sprout's first record of new material for over a decade which is released today.

Subjects tackled on the album include Bob Dylan on "Mysterious", songwriting on "The Best Jewel Thief In The World" and, on "The Songs Of Danny Galway", a 1991 meeting between McAloon and Jimmy Webb.

After listening to the album a couple of times I can thoroughly recommend it.

The full tracklisting for Crimson/Red is:

The Best Jewel Thief In The World
The List Of Impossible Things
Adolescence
Grief Built The Taj Mahal
Devil Came A Calling
Billy
The Dreamer
The Songs Of Danny Galway
The Old Magician
Mysterious

The album can be streamed or downloaded from all the usual outlets.

The Top Ten Albums of 2012

Here's some tracks and videos from my top ten albums of 2012. My favourite album of the year is 'Standing at the Sky's Edge by Richard Hawley, but the other nine ain't bad either.

All feedback appreciated and please let me know me know your top tens.

1. Richard Hawley - Standing at the Sky's Edge

2. Paul Weller - Sonik Kicks 

3. Cat Power - Sun

4. Beach House - Bloom

5. Rumer - Boys Don't Cry

6. Alt J - An Awesome Wave

7. Saint Etienne - Words and Music

8. The XX - Coexist

9. Django Django - Django Django

10. Jimmy Cliff - Rebirth

Richard Hawley - Leave Your Body Behind You

This is a great new single by Richard Hawley from his forthcoming album 'Standing at the Sky's Edge' out on May 7th. If this track is anything to go by the album is going to be a scorcher. If you want to pre-order the album go to: http://smarturl.it/RichardHawleyAlbum

The Top Twenty Albums of 2011

Here's my top twenty albums of 2011. The top album of the year is The Wild Swans - 'The Coldest Winter In A Hundred Years', but the other nineteen are pretty good too.

Look forward to receiving your lists and recommendations.

1. The Wild Swans - The Coldest Winter In A Hundred Years

2. Wild Beasts - Smother

3. John Foxx & the Maths - Interplay

4. Bon Iver - Bon Iver

5. The Horrors - Skying

6. Wire - Red Barked Tree

7. Laura Marling - A Creature I Don't Know

8. The Decemberists - The King Is Dead

9. Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues

10. Kate Bush - 50 Words For Snow

11. Lykke Li - Wounded Rhymes

12. The Unthanks - Last

13. Elbow - Build A Rocket Boys

14. TV on the Radio - Nine Types Of Light

15. Metronomy - The English Riviera

16. Battles - Gloss Drop

17. Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds - Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds

18. Kurt Vile - Smoke Ring For My Halo

19. P J Harvey - Let England Shake

20. Florence + The Machine - Ceremonials

All the albums are available to preview or purchase from the Amazon widget on the right hand panel of this site.

The Best Album of 2011

The Wild Swans tribute to drummer Pete de Freitas who died in a motorbike accident 22 years ago.

My top album of 2011 is The Wild Swans - 'The Coldest Winter In A Hundred Years'.
I only discovered this brilliant album in October but I've not stopped playing it ever since. I've been a fan of the Wild Swans since the 1980's (Revolutionary Spirit being a personal favourite) but I had thought their moment had passed until this latest release.

Original member and lead singer Paul Simpson has gone through numerous line-ups which have included many famous Liverpudlians such as Pete de Freitas (Echo and the Bunnymen), Ian Broudie (Lightning Seeds), Chris Sharrock and Ian McNabb (Icicle Works).

However, the latest incarnation which includes Ricky Rene Maymi (Brian Jonestown Massacre), Les Pattinson (Echo and the Bunnymen), Mike Mooney (Julian Cope/Spiritualized), and Steve Beswick (Slipstream) have come up with a masterpiece.

This is an epic album with soaring tunes and evocative lyrics, it is music to be savoured.
It is the album The Wild Swans always threatened to make in the 80's and 90's but have only now got around to making.

'The Coldest Winter in A Hundred Years' has had limited publicity and has been criminally neglected by the critics, but it is deserving of your attention. Buy the CD or download a copy now.

http://www.thewildswans.co.uk/