Piccadilly Records End Of Year Review 2012 by Piccadilly Records

PICCADILLY RECORDS

END OF YEAR REVIEW 2012

ALT-J

AN AWESOME WAVE

LANDING ON A HUNDRED

LIFE IS PEOPLE

BILL FAY

FIRST AID KIT

FLYING LOTUS

GRIZZLY BEAR

HOLY OTHER

THE JIM JONES REVUE

SPIRITUALIZED

SHARON VAN ETTEN

YETI LANE

RACHEL ZEFFIRA

UNTIL THE QUIET COMES

SWEET HEART SWEET LIGHT

CODY CHESNUTT

SHIELDS

TRAMP

HELD

THE ECHO SHOW

THE LION’S ROAR

THE SAVAGE HEART

THE DESERTERS

Welcome to Piccadilly Records End Of Year Review 2012. As ever our booklet is packed with personal charts and staff-written reviews of our favourite albums of the year. In an era when sales of old music now outstrip that of new releases, we’re proud to keep flying the flag for new discoveries – I’m sure you’ll find something in here that’s just right for you. Taking our 2012 Top 100 chart by storm is the Goat “World Music” album, a perfect Piccadilly mix of psych, post-punk, afro-punk-funk and oddball disco – a riot of shouty-but-tuneful tracks. See over the page for exclusive Goat remix bonus disc info! Our number one compilation comes from the ever-reliable Light In The Attic and their “Country Funk 1969 – 1975” selection of funk-infused blues, gospel, country and more. Topping the reissues and collections chart is Can’s “The Lost Tapes” box set (now on vinyl as well as CD) – a treasure trove of lost krautrock gems. You’ll be able to read all about the other albums in our top 100 as you leaf through the rest of the booklet, but in the meantime, here’s our top 20 in brief: White Manna, Moon Duo, Pretty Lightning (psych). First Aid Kit, Smoke Fairies (folk). Django Django and Friends (pop / indie-dance), Chromatics, Grimes (synth-pop). Grizzly Bear (epic), Toy (hypnotic), Sharon Van Etten (intimate), Crocodiles (edgy), Spiritualized (spacey), Richard Hawley (rocky). Loops Of Your Heart, Sun Araw, M. Geddes Gengras, And The Congos, Peaking Lights (trippy). Godspeed You! Black Emperor (avant rock). Remember folks, everything in our booklet comes with the Piccadilly seal of approval, so it’s always worth taking a punt on one of our recommendations!

2012 FREE SAMPLER CD TRACKLISTING 1. Toy Colours Running Out 2. Moon Duo Circles 3. Crocodiles Electric Death Song 4. Colorama Good Music 5. Stealing Sheep Genevieve 6. Wild Nothing Shadow 7. Tame Impala Feels Like We Only Go Backwards

Also, in collaboration with the kind folk at Republic Of Music, we’ve compiled a sampler CD (see below for details) which you get FREE – while stocks last – with any of the top 20 main chart CDs or LPs, or the number one albums in the compilations or reissues chart. Meanwhile, it’s been another busy year for us in the shop and mail order department. The upturn in vinyl buying since Record Store Day 2011 has turned us into the go-to shop for all those limited bits of wax, while we also had more tourists over the summer as well (maybe everyone was combining Olympic football + record shopping?). Record Store Day 2012 was utterly insane and totally brilliant. With the first people outside the shop at 11.30pm the night before, we were met with a proper block-rocking queue when we arrived for work on Saturday morning. You might think we’re used to it by now, but I know I’m not the only one here who has butterflies on RSD morning when I see all those people. Thanks to everyone who waited so patiently (again) – we really appreciate how good natured you remain. Record Store Day 2013 is on Saturday April 20th, so don’t go booking anything daft like a wedding or something on the same day... As ever, a big thank you to all our regular and not so regular customers; it’s always nice to see you for a chat about music and to point you in the direction of new records. Thanks to all the distributors who have advertised in the booklet, and to those who have kept the flow of great records coming. Lastly, extra special thanks as ever go to Mark Brown (markbrownstudio.co.uk) who has done another splendid job designing this year’s booklet.

8. Beach House Lazuli 9. Tim Burgess A Case For Vinyl 10. Calexico Puerto 11. Pins LuvU4Lyf 12. Smoke Fairies The Three Of Us 13. Ultraísta Smalltalk 14. JJ Doom Guv’nor

15. Friends Friend Crush 16. Pollyn Sometimes You Just Know 17. Mungolian Jetset vs Unni Wilhelmsen Revolving Door 18. John Talabot When The Past Was Present 19. Chromatics Back From The Grave

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PICCADILLY RECORDS ALBUM OF THE YEAR 2012

W O R L D M U S I C Darryl: Back in February this year we stocked an intriguing 7” called “Goatman” from a mysterious Swedish group called Goat, we loved its wacked out voodoo psych and judging by sales so did our customers, but little did it prepare us for the amazing debut album that followed seven months later under a shroud of myth and mystery. The story surrounding the group is becoming the stuff of mystical legend; Goat, according to their press release, are from a remote village called Korpilombolo in deepest darkest Sweden, the tale of the place being that the inhabitants were dedicated to the worship and practices of Voodoo after a travelling witch doctor stayed there a few centuries ago. The band itself is believed to be a collective of local musicians who have been recording music under the name of Goat for the past 30 or 40 years, this being the first incarnation of the group that’s ever released anything for the outside world to share. Of course whether this epic fantasy tale is true remains debatable, but in reality it really doesn’t matter when their musical output is this good.

After the debut 7” we naturally expected “World Music” to be an album full of heavy psychedelic mantras, but what we got was something more mind-blowing – a loose melting pot of afro-voodoobeat rhythms, blistering psyche guitar freakouts, kosmische drenched metronomy, and post-punk funkiness. It’s at times poppy and accessible (the 3 minute “Run To Your Mama” could grace the top of the charts in any other parallel universe) and at other times raw with an underground swagger, but what really hits you full-on is the spontaneous energy and sassy fun of the album. Think Funkadelic meets Spacemen 3 meets Fela Kuti meets Can meets ESG. It’s an album that’s done pretty much the impossible and united all tastes behind the counter here at Piccadilly, we all absolutely love it, and so will you!

THE TOP 100 ALBUMS: ALBUM OF THE YEAR

FREE Piccadilly Records Exclusive Bonus Remix Disc when you buy either the vinyl or CD of “World Music” FEATURING REMIXES OF “RUN TO YOUR MAMA” BY: 1. THOUGHT FORMS / 2. HIGH WOLF / 3. HOOKWORMS / 4. REDG WEEKS / 5. THE NIGHTHAMMER / 6. GNOD & RAIKES PARADE 7. PINKUNOIZU / 8. TEETH OF THE SEA / 9. CAGE & AVIARY (UNFINISHED MIX)

A LOOSE MELTING POT OF AFRO-VOODOO-BEAT RHYTHMS, BLISTERING PSYCHE GUITAR FREAKOUTS, KOSMISCHE DRENCHED METRONOMY, AND POST-PUNK FUNKINESS

PICCADILLY RECORDS Q&A WITH GOAT You’ve probably been asked a thousand times already, but can you tell us about the village Korpilombolo in Sweden where you hail from? Is it true that the inhabitants are dedicated to the worship and practises of voodoo? Korpilombolo is the spiritual headquarter for the band Goat. This is where Goat first formed many decades ago and this is where the new incarnation of Goat stems from. This is where Pandit Pran Nath visited the Goat commune back in the 60s and crafted immense psychedelic jams together with our relatives and friends. As has been stated before some of these spontaneous creations were caught on tape and are still safely kept in the infamous Goat archives. Maybe they will see the light of day one day who knows. The spirit of PPN still shines over and through the music of Goat like the setting sun over Delhi. “Raga is a living souls! “ To answer the second part; not all inhabitants are dedicated to voodoo but definitely a great deal of them, whether they want to bring it out into the light or not is totally up to them. Remember Korpilombolo is a small and remote place and you would not want to draw too much attention if you lead a non-conventional lifestyle, right? There were also many different variations and interpretations of the voodoo. Some were more savage than others. Some had more of an advaitic & dzog chen type take on it. You choose your own path!

It’s been widely reported that Goat consists of a large collective of musicians with maybe three of you at the core, how many people actually appeared on the recording of the album? The core is much bigger. If we count the musicians appearing on the album I think it is somewhere between 10 or 12 different people. The total of musicians that are active in or around our community at this point I think is around 20 people or so, maybe slightly more. The reason that only 3 people appear in the press photo you refer to is that they were the only ones present in the temple at the time of the shoot. Simple as that. Your image on press photos seems to be at odds with the music that you create, can we expect a death metal album from you in the near future? Haha, who knows? I kind of like the idea of a death metal equivalent to the World music album. Let me talk to Guru and get back to you. As you’re such a big collective, how do you go about songwriting, does someone turn up with a fully formed plan that everyone works to or is it more of a collaborative free-form effort? There is no one definite way to go about songwriting for Goat. Every situation is unique. But to give you some kind of an idea: Someone brings a riff or a rhythm or both. Sometimes/most of the time we jam free form and; 1. Keep just a part or 2. Sometimes the whole song. Whichever way we choose the process is always the same, effortless and spontaneous. And as I see it no

music is ever “made” in the traditional sense. It already exists & you just use your instrument, whatever it is, to channel that. The songs on ‘World Music’ cover a lot of different genres including psyche, afro-funk, kosmische and post-punk amongst others, was that a natural extension of your influences or something completely pure? As I said before there is not a lot of thought put into this. Music is not rocket science. What you hear is what you get. We love music from all parts and of all sorts so I guess it´s natural that those influences seep through. So yes I would say it´s a quite natural extension of who we are, at least musically. And in the end everything you experience is completely pure it´s just a matter of how you choose to see it. It is all just pure empty appearances. How does it feel to suddenly gain a lot of attention for your music? It feels humbling and we are very, very grateful for this. It is kind of hard to grasp to tell you the truth. At the same time nothing has changed, we still have the same outlook on music & life in general and we still go about our daily duties. In a way it is like getting a lot of attention for simply being yourself or doing something that is as natural as breathing or going to sleep at night. The source of music has very little to do with the individual if you ask me.

Who is your favourite on screen portrayal of the devil? Either The bearded gypsy guy in Alucarda or the dude in I Drink Your Blood though he is more of a cult leader I guess.. You recently completed a mini-tour of the UK, playing your first ever gigs, how did it go and what were your highlights? It was amazing! Everything from finally meeting the guys at Rocket Recordings to all the promoters, crowds & organizers was just total bliss. Just brilliant people all of them. What a fucking response we got! Unbelievable! We had such a nice time & we will be back for sure if people want us of course. You claimed album of the year in the Piccadilly Records chart, what would your album of the year be? Shit I am not so up to date unfortunately but I’d say the Amanaz – Africa LP or maybe the Suck – Time To Suck LP. I have listened a lot to them this year. Those two albums will take you through the dark northern winter for sure! Also Group Inerane performing the track Ano Nagarus. It’s up on YouTube and it´s so good you basically die when you watch it ! Is there anything you’d like to say to people who’ve already bought, or are planning on buying, your album? Yes thank you so much for the support & for being open enough to try Goat out. Remember the music is nothing without you the listener and your interpretation of it. You have the soundtrack, now direct your inner movie!

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FIRST AID KIT THE LION’S ROAR “THE LION’S ROAR” IS THE LOVE CHILD OF GRAM PARSONS’ COSMIC AMERICAN MUSIC David: First Aid Kit comprise two Swedish sisters, Klara and Joanna, who have seemingly spent their formative years wistfully watching their shadows grow long as the sun sets in the west, wishing themselves far away. Kicking up their heels in the dust of Texas. Sitting on a Tennessee porch, guitar in lap, with Cicadas as an evening accompaniment. Or, getting fitted for a nudie suit in North Hollywood circa 1969. Anything’s better than the perpetual darkness of yet another never ending Stockholm winter. More than just another cutesy, country folk album, “The Lion’s Roar” is the love child of Gram Parsons’ “Cosmic American Music”. Tracing its family tree from Fleet Foxes, past The Byrds and Flying Burrito Brothers, stopping off for a slow dance with The Everly Brothers, before arriving home at Sun Studios with Johnny Cash in Memphis 1955.

It’s nothing new, of course, for musicians, especially young ones (and Klara and Joanna are frighteningly young) to reference their heroes in their own songs. The talent lies in being able to take something universal and make it sound like nobody ever thought to sing or play it that way before. Peter Buck, for example, was always bemused by the people who spent entire REM gigs watching him play guitar. “It’s just G / C / D guys, G / C and D”. First Aid Kit fans would be equally disappointed. Indeed, there are, after all, no new chords waiting to be discovered yet therein lies the inherent beauty of “The Lion’s Roar”. It makes something that could – and perhaps even should – sound tired and old sound like...well...sound like a Piccadilly Records album of 2012.

FIRST AID KIT SAY... This album has been a turning point for us in so many ways. Getting to work with our heroes in Bright Eyes – Mike Mogis producing, Nate Walcott arranging strings, Conor Oberst lending his voice to a song – it’s more than we could ever dream of. To find that these songs found a place in people’s hearts and reached so many ears, all over the world, is truly extraordinary. We’ve been lucky enough to have been able to travel all around to meet our listeners and play

for them. It’s all very surreal and really fantastic. But here we are, the year is coming to its end, and what a crazy journey it has been. This year is something we will never forget, we are honestly just shocked and overwhelmed by what a reception we’ve received, and so very grateful. And we are so excited to see what the next chapter has in store for us... Thank you Piccadilly Records, we are honored to be mentioned on your list.

THE TOP 100 ALBUMS

WHITE MANNA WHITE MANNA ADOPTING TRAD-PSYCH ARRANGEMENTS WITH THE SPEAKER MELTING GUITAR PRODUCTION OF TODAY Matt: It was always gonna take some serious guts to fight off Wooden Shjips’ and Moon Duo’s annual psychedelic take over; but somehow this year, I think White Manna have done it. Perhaps it’s that we all recognize Ripley’s cuddly face now, but White Manna’s self titled debut (released on Holy Mountain, as was the Shjips first record) instantly struck a darker, heavier, more “balls-out” chord with us here in the shop. These were instant air guitar anthems, and the aggressive, more Stooges-esque vocal delivery would leave us gasping for breath when the songs finished. With riffs as snappy and incessant as this, you’ve little chance to get lost in dreamworld, rather you’re catapulted full-throttle down the Californian highways from which the band hail.

I have to quote the sales notes: “White Manna focus on mantric riffs that accelerate into speed-freak, headbanging frenzies that make you feel indestructible” – you can’t really expand on that, but I’ll try. Adopting some classic trad-psych arrangements with the speaker melting guitar production of today, White Manna don’t hide behind walls of synthesizers, throwing stones; instead they meet you head-on with a big fuck-off axe – “you want some?” they snarl, drummer and bassist on the wings – the pretenders shy away – and the Manna continue onwards, leaving everyone shaking in their boots. In short, White Manna, for this year at least, are the scariest and fiercest band you can purchase from our dusty racks; and when sharing floor space with White Hills, Wooden Shjips and the plethora of ‘60s-‘90s psych re-issues that we stock, then that, my friends, is saying something.

WHITE MANNA SAY... Hey there Piccadilly Records, we are very excited that you enjoy our record so much! Number 3! We’re very honored and look forward to getting lost in your store next spring when we tour the UK and Europe. We had a very fun time making this record, and appreciate all of the support and feedback we’ve received from it. 2012 has been a very fun year for WM, and we plan to keep

“fun” as one of our top priorities next year. Some music on heavy rotation for us this year have been- Starving Weirdos, Carlton Melton, Swans, Fungal Abyss, Glitter Wizard, Goat, American Cloud Songs, and Barn Owl. Good reads include Krishnamurti and Robert Anton Wilson- everything. Thank you Piccadilly Records! We look forward to seeing you soon!!

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DJANGO DJANGO DJANGO DJANGO YOU’RE UNLIKELY TO HEAR ANYTHING QUITE SO INTOXICATINGLY CREATIVE THIS YEAR Sara: This debut long player from the Edinburgh-formed and East London-based four piece has a decidedly sunny disposition, and provided much needed respite from the woeful washout of “summer” this year. The album opens with the sound of crickets chirping, swirling synths and vocal melodies followed by tribal drums, giving a brief taster of the delights to come before carrying you seamlessly into the first proper track on the album, “Hail Bop”. “Waveforms” is a percussion-led track with lots of squelching, whirring and multi-layered vocal melodies that bring to mind some kind of cosmic barber shop quartet. The repeated vocals and stomping drums of “Zumm Zumm” are woozily hypnotic whilst “Hand of Man” is a more relaxed affair with folky acoustic guitars offering a brief respite

from the freneticism. “Skies Over Cairo” is another highlight: the sound of a psychedelic magic-carpet ride with the Beta Band. One of the highlights on the album is “Wor”, a bizarre rockabilly rave-up with wailing sirens, frantic handclaps and twangy guitar riffs Duane Eddy would be proud of. This album is positively buzzing with ideas but never feels cluttered, is unpredictable but has something for everyone, and despite its immediacy and accessibility, it still sounds exciting after repeated plays. A worthy contender for the Mercury prize – the winner if I had my way – you’re unlikely to hear anything quite so intoxicatingly creative this year.

DJANGO DJANGO SAY... This is amazing news. I’ve spent most of my life in independent record shops in Scotland and London, it’s my first port of call when I have some spare time and spare cash. Whenever I’m in Manchester I pop into Piccadilly Records. A great shop with great variety.

We made the album in my kitchen with a £40 mic and a broken drum kit, if 100 people had bought the record we would have been happy so everything that has happened this year is well beyond all our expectations. Dave Maclean (Django Django).

THE TOP 100 ALBUMS

SMOKE FAIRIES BLOOD SPEAKS STEEPED IN THE HISTORY OF ENGLISH FOLK, AMERICANA AND BLUES BUT NOW WITH A ROCKIER EDGE Philippa: A name like Smoke Fairies suggests a will-o’-the-wisp fragility, and while Jessica Davies and Katherine Blamire’s vintage floral frocks and laced up boots see them conform to certain expectations of folky femininity, names and looks can be deceiving. Much of the two years since the pair’s full length debut “Through Low Light And Trees” has been spent touring, criss-crossing 3000 miles of America as well as Europe and the UK. While many might be cowed by that expanse of the Midwest USA, with Smoke Fairies it seems to have given them a greater presence and a new found confidence, which in turn has transmitted itself to their music. It’s a subtle shift, and one that I only fully appreciated listening to “Through Low Light And Trees” and “Blood Speaks” back to back.

As with its predecessor, “Blood Speaks” is steeped in the history of English folk, Americana and blues (the pair have previously decamped to New Orleans for a year’s study), but this new album has a certain additional muscularity to it, most notable on the opening blues slide guitar on “The Three Of Us”, while title track “Blood Speaks” goes beyond the constraints of the folk / blues tradition altogether. Unchanging, however, is Smoke Fairies USP, the entwined, entrancing ethereal vocal harmonies of Blamire and Davies, which are still at the heart of every song, as are the tales of love and loss, continuing the thread of melancholia that runs through all their work. If, like me, you found “Through Low Light And Trees” totally enthralling, “Blood Speaks” will be sure to captivate you just as much.

SMOKE FAIRIES SAY... This is wonderful news, the best way to end the year. There are so many brilliant albums being sold in Piccadilly Records, it feels like such an achievement to have made it on to this list. Thanks to all the staff at Piccadilly Records and all the customers who bought Blood Speaks. When we last played in Manchester we were throwing bananas at the audience so it’s good to know there are no bad feelings. There’s always a great audience at the Manchester shows we’ve played and the gig at the Deaf Institute

was a definite highlight of the tour so it feels great to be recognised by Piccadilly. Now that these wintry evenings are here again, it takes us back to this time last year when we were holed up in a London studio with Producer, Head, recording Blood Speaks. It was an intense series of days and we worked right up until Christmas Eve, living on a diet of mince pies and Baileys. We emerged from the studio and Christmas was about to arrive and Blood Speaks was finished.

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MOON DUO CIRCLES

Matt: Moon Duo’s patented brand of drum machine-led psychedelic dance rock has been so prolific over the last few years, that you may well shy away from the sheer volume of work produced in such a short time. In truth, you’re lucky enough to be surviving (even growing old with) a guitarist who is riding the very crest of his wave. A naive man like myself can make comparisons with Jimi Hendrix at the height of his career, and I personally feel honoured to be sharing this trip with Ripley. On “Circles” Ripley riffs optimistically and sings with abundant joy. It’s his ode to the sun-blushed road trip in my opinion. “Dance Pt 2” sees the familiar submerging in layer upon layer of cascading guitar while Sanae’s haunting synth work pierces through the mix with distinction. One striking aspect of this album is that these are DANCE tracks. You could play this in a nightclub people would go absolutely off their box. I once said “a rock band for the rave generation” – “Circles” cements this fact even more.

CHROMATICS KILL FOR LOVE

David: Unless you’ve been living in a cave this year, you’ll know that Chromatics’ main man Johnny Jewel composed the soundtrack to 2012’s most stylish film – “Drive” – only to have it rejected and be reborn as Symmetry’s “Theme For An Imaginary Film”. “Kill For Love”, much like Symmetry and Jewel’s other bands Glass Candy and Desire, continues the search for the perfect soundtrack of the city at night. A city of empty, rain slicked streets and pulsing neon lights that lies somewhere between the worlds of Raymond Chandler and Edward Hopper, untold stories of loss and yearning hiding behind each locked door and shuttered window. Gloriously uplifting and heart breakingly melancholic in equal measure, “Kill For Love” is the sound of Giorgio Moroder and Madonna jamming in Tech Noir, while Johnny Marr shares a drink with a young New Order at the bar.

DRUM MACHINE-LED PSYCHEDELIC DANCE ROCK; “A ROCK BAND FOR THE RAVE GENERATION”

GLORIOUSLY UPLIFTING AND HEART BREAKINGLY MELANCHOLIC IN EQUAL MEASURE

SHARON VAN ETTEN TRAMP

Laura: This is Sharon Van Etten’s third album, but even if you’ve missed out on her previous two, you really can’t afford to let this one pass you by. With The National’s Aaron Dessner at the controls, and an impressive cast of contributors, including Julianna Barwick , Zach Condon (Beirut), Bryce Dessner (The National), Matt Barrick (The Walkmen) and Jenn Wasner (Wye Oak) she has created an absolutely stunning album. Dressner’s production creates the perfect space within her songs for her vocals to really shine, whether they’re stark acoustic tracks (“Give Out”, “We Are Fine”) or powerful atmospheric rockers (“Serpents”, ”All I Can’) or ones that fall somewhere between the two (“Leonard”) the range of her voice covers everything from fragile and fractured, to strong and defiant, somewhere between Cat Power and PJ Harvey. Add to that, superb emotive songwriting and you have all the ingredients for a truly wonderful album.

HER VOICE COVERS EVERYTHING FROM FRAGILE AND FRACTURED, TO STRONG AND DEFIANT

THE TOP 100 ALBUMS

GRIZZLY BEAR SHIELDS

Martin: The ornately wrought ironwork of “Veckatimest” was always going to be a very tough act to follow, but, in my humble opinion, Grizzly Bear have quietly surpassed it with “Shields”. The rhythmic twists and turns are still there, as are the intricately crafted, angular song structures and Ed Drost’s aching vocal harmonies; but if in its predecessor’s overreaching ambition emotion and overall direction were occasionally lost, with “Shields” the expression has been honed, and to an exquisite degree. Grizzly Bear are the sum of divergent parts and that’s reflected in their complex, hard to pin down sound – if you need references (and they are loose) then, maybe Jeff Buckley’s muscular anguish and the melodic end of Animal Collective might serve. Best not to take my word for it though, investigate them for yourself; there’s a very, very good chance you’ll find it worth the effort.

FRIENDS MANIFEST!

Philippa: Listening to Friends’ debut album “Manifest!” you instantly realise the band could only come from New York, and even if they didn’t, you’d still swear they had to have some connection to the Big Apple – they just ooze NY cool. The Brooklyn quintet’s sound draws together loose, percussive disco-not-disco, lo-fi funk and ‘60s girl group pop. And while they might not have the avant-garde experimentation of punk-funk originators Liquid Liquid, or the muscular dancefloor appeal of the Rapture and LCD Soundsystem, they make up for it with a handy knack for a pop hook – tracks like “Friend Crush” and “I’m His Girl” will have you humming along in no time. Not every album you buy has to have weight, meaning and depth, there’s always room in your record collection for a bit of bright and breezy indie-disco-pop. Think Tina Weymouth’s Tom Tom Club rather than David Byrne’s Talking Heads.

RHYTHMIC TWISTS AND TURNS, INTRICATELY CRAFTED, ANGULAR SONG STRUCTURES AND ACHING VOCAL HARMONIES

DRAWS TOGETHER LOOSE, PERCUSSIVE DISCO-NOT-DISCO, LO-FI FUNK AND ‘60S GIRL GROUP POP

TOY TOY

Andy: Right from the very start there was something special about this band. By that I mean Piccadilly sold tonnes of their first few singles, before we’d really worked out what was going on! This debut album explains the fuss; it’s absolutely brilliant! Sure, they’ve got all the cool references which older bods will recognise in the House Of Love or even The Church i.e. moody vocals and a certain psych-tinged sense of otherness, but Toy add tasty, motorik grooves and FX-laden shoegaze swathes to a sound that is hypnotic, kaleidoscopic, but most importantly catchy as fuck! They do the arty stuff with the kosmische repetition and well-placed instrumentals, but then bring out the enormous choruses and deft pop hooks for all the kids (and milkmen!) that couldn’t care less. They remind me a little bit of Ride, or today The Horrors, but I think Toy are better than both.

MOTORIK GROOVES AND FX-LADEN SHOEGAZE SWATHES; A SOUND THAT IS HYPNOTIC, AND KALEIDOSCOPIC

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RICHARD HAWLEY STANDING AT THE SKY’S EDGE

Laura: Right from the off you realise that this album isn’t exactly going to follow the same lush, string embellished path of the last three Hawley albums, as it plunges straight into a seven minute plus psych rocker. “She Brings The Sunlight” and title track “Standing At The Sky’s Edge” – a bleak view of modern life pushing people to the brink – pretty much set the tone for the whole album really. Although he hinted at a darker side with “Truelove’s Gutter”, this album is not just a darker affair, but heavier too. (He has rocked before though don’t forget, and he’s really pretty good at it!) There are lighter moments: “Seek It” and the shimmering acid haze of “Don’t Stare At The Sun” for example, mellow things out nicely before we’re plunged back into heavy riffs and layers of feedback. It’s an ambitious and very different sound, but he pulls it off with ease. And of course with THAT voice, it’s most definitely a Richard Hawley album. A triumph!

CROCODILES ENDLESS FLOWERS

Martin: Given San Diego’s conservative reputation it should come as little surprise that The Crocodiles couldn’t wait to leave its limited waters for the morally murkier and more predator friendly depths of London and New York, with the current LP being recorded in the liberal island of Berlin. The addition of three extra members, including keyboard player, hasn’t, as it might have, diluted either their focus or energy, instead adding glitter to the gleeful psych/punk abandon, a touch of carnival to the riot. “Endless Flowers” also manages that uncommon marriage of heart and head, the quality of the music being matched by smart, darkly poetic lyrics dealing with such “Tea At The Rectory” staples as Satanism, sex, love and death. Their sound has, with typical journalistic laziness, been irritatingly and inaccurately pigeonholed elsewhere, and granted, it may not be entirely groundbreaking; but when it’s as joyfully infectious as this, who cares?

AN AMBITIOUS AND VERY DIFFERENT (ROCKIER) SOUND, BUT HE PULLS IT OFF WITH EASE

THE GLEEFUL PSYCH/ PUNK ABANDON; MATCHED BY SMART, DARKLY POETIC LYRICS

LOOPS OF YOUR HEART AND NEVER ENDING NIGHTS

Dave: The side project of The Field’s Axel Willner, Loops Of Your Heart renews his fascination with repetition and takes it to its natural and, perhaps, ultimate conclusion. While his work as The Field looks to the decadent dancefloors of Berlin for its inspiration, “And Never Ending Nights” looks back to early pioneers such as Faust and Can. Their rejection of the Anglo-American culture that had predominated in Germany since the end of the war led them to create their own new musical aesthetic that Willner has appropriated brilliantly here. Equally impressive is Willner’s ability to create feelings of nostalgia, loss and euphoria purely through his choice of synths and sounds. An album that makes most sense the day after the night before, “And Never Ending Nights” is the sensory equivalent to skipping a stone into the sea and watching its ripple melt into the infinite, sun-kissed horizon.

LOOKING BACK TO FAUST AND CAN, THE ALBUM MAKES MOST SENSE THE DAY AFTER THE NIGHT BEFORE

THE TOP 100 ALBUMS

SPIRITUALIZED SWEET HEART SWEET LIGHT

Andy: If you were feeling as weary as Jason Pierce occasionally sounds, on what is basically his seventh solo LP, then you may be forgiven for thinking... oh here we go again: death, drugs, destruction and Jesus!? That is, if his usual lyrical world wasn’t married to his best collection of songs since the almighty “Ladies and Gentlemen” LP of 1997. Apparently it was the revisiting and touring of that record, in 2009, coupled with a serious liver ailment that made Jason decide that anything he now put out would have to reach those standards. Yes he’s wracked with pain (and this is genuine; his voice is now so cracked, weak even, soulful!) but there’s glory and majesty in the music. “Little Girl” and “Too Late” would be massive radio hits in an alternative universe, whilst “So Long You Pretty Things” is , for me, the greatest thing he’s ever done.

SUN ARAW, M. GEDDES GENGRAS, AND THE CONGOS FRKWYS VOL. 9: ICON GIVE THANK

Martin: The pairing of sixty/seventy something reggae pioneers responsible for one of the most beautiful roots albums of the seventies with a couple of cosmically inclined twenty something stoner geeks from the West Coast might seem an unlikely one, with the potential for profound misunderstanding and embarrassment for all concerned escalating into an unseemly mess of mutual disdain and condescension. But it could – just – also make a great deal of sense, with the Congos’ celestial vocal charms bringing focus and emotional depth to Sun Araw’s wild galactic tempests, and Geddes/Stallones adding mystic relevance to what could have been a laudable, finely honed but not unpredictable effort from highly talented gentlemen who had been doing the same thing for too long. The blend is sublime in fact, unique and mesmerizing, an intoxicating symbiosis beyond roots, dub, noise, or anything either party could have achieved left to their own devices.

THEIR BEST COLLECTION OF SONGS SINCE THE ALMIGHTY “LADIES AND GENTLEMEN” LP OF 1997

UNIQUE AND MESMERIZING, AN INTOXICATING SYMBIOSIS BEYOND ROOTS, DUB, AND NOISE

GRIMES VISIONS

Philippa: Montreal-based singer, songwriter, producer Claire Boucher, aka Grimes is a music maker of the Internet age. The overwhelming availability of differing musical styles on the Web often makes for a kids-in-a-sweet-shop, suck it and see style of music creation for younger producers, and previous Grimes albums have perhaps lacked focus, while at the same time giving us tantalising hints of her song writing talent. “Visions”, however, is the great leap forward we’ve been hoping for. On this long player for 4AD, Boucher references influences as wide ranging as Enya, Prince, Cocteau Twins, TLC and Aphex Twin, but creates her own distinctive sound. Whereas on “Halfaxa” and “Geidi Primes” Grimes’ pop impulses were buried deep in gloomy synthwave soundscapes and IDM glitches, now they rise to the top. Seductive, infectious and unexpectedly brilliant, “Visions”, has turned out to be one of the best electronic pop albums of 2012.

“VISIONS” HAS TURNED OUT TO BE ONE OF THE BEST ELECTRONIC POP ALBUMS OF 2012

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PEAKING LIGHTS LUCIFER

Darryl: Last year Peaking Lights’ superb “936” album scored a number one album in the Piccadilly Records end of year chart, and now hot on the heels of that the mesmerizing duo of Aaron Coyes and Indra Dunis deliver “Lucifer’. Recorded over the course of a month in Brooklyn “Lucifer” captures a more nocturnal side of their sound adding even more dimensions to their already broad sound palette. Bringing forth mellow chillwave pulses, blissed-out dub, playful pop, hypnotic avantkosmische rhythms, and sensual melodic vocals, this will more than appease anyone who’s loved the band’s earlier work. “To us this record is about play and playfulness, unconditional love, rhythms and pulses, creation and vibration,” says Aaron Coyes. All in all, an ideal 4am post-party comedown record for all the family!

PRETTY LIGHTNING THERE ARE WITCHES IN THE WOODS

Andy: Pretty Lightning are Christian Berghoff and Sebastian Haas, two Germans who have crashed into our lives, seemingly from nowhere, sounding precisely like the Black Keys! Not a Black Keys that are headlining the M.E.N. but one that’s got lost in the woods and eaten some funny mushrooms! This pair plays heavy, thumping, fuzzed-up blues, but this is rock to the Black Keys’ pop. The riffs are stoned; slow and grinding, but laced with drone and space-rock elements on the same (astral!) plane as U.S. heads Wooden Shjips or even Sunburned Hand of the Man. Without wanting to get too geographical, a further departure from the blues-duo template is Pretty Lightning’s sense of creepy, hazy, freak-folk doominess that, considering their nationality, is tempting to compare with, maybe, Amon Düül II. The use of theremin, shruti drone box and orchestration, combined with those enormous riffs, ferry you away to those dark, early ‘70s days of fantasy and black magic, rather than a bewildering night at the M.E.N. Arena. It’s a trip worth taking.

AN IDEAL 4AM POSTPARTY COMEDOWN RECORD FOR ALL THE FAMILY!

THE RIFFS ARE STONED; SLOW AND GRINDING, BUT LACED WITH DRONE AND SPACEROCK ELEMENTS

GODSPEED YOU! BLACK EMPEROR ‘ALLELUJAH! DON’T BEND! ASCEND!

Darryl: A full decade on from their previous release, Montreal’s instrumental alchemists GY!BE bring us their astonishing new masterpiece “’Allelujah! Don’t Bend! Ascend!” Having taken a hiatus in 2003 the band reformed as a touring entity in 2010 honing their craft again before unexpectedly offering us this new apocalyptic vision. “’Allelujah!” brings us two 20 minute sprawling epics in the form of “Mladic” and “We Drift Like Worried Fire” and two shorter drone pieces. “Mladic” begins proceedings with an Eastern hypnotic vibe which gradually transforms into a raging torrent of intense and menacing guitar noisecapes dipping and soaring to a thrilling crescendo. “We Drift Like Worried Fire” builds from a simple repetitive three note sequence into a monumental storm of euphoric guitars, strings and pounding rhythm section before falling back and rising again to a brutal and majestic peak of cinematic noise euphoria, it’s like Morricone gone punk. These tracks are bookended by two shorter drone pieces that menace with dynamic intensity, the calm after the storm! ‘Allelujah indeed!

MAJESTIC PEAKS OF CINEMATIC NOISE EUPHORIA, IT’S LIKE MORRICONE GONE PUNK

THE TOP 100 ALBUMS

FLYING LOTUS UNTIL THE QUIET COMES

Composed, according to Flying Lotus, as “a collage of mystical states, dreams, sleep and lullabies”, “Until the Quiet Comes” has the distinct feel of this nocturnal trip. From the twitching descent into a subconscious state and the out-of-focus time-ether of the journey that follows, the sound is an unhinged, yet elegant evolution of the melodic and rhythmic interplay that is woven into the DNA of Flying Lotus’ aural personae.

FORT ROMEAU KINGDOMS

Mike Norris aka Fort Romeau is a UK artist based in South London. Mike began making music at 14 inspired by the slow jams of Air’s “Premiers Symptômes” and the warm analogue sounds of Autechre’s “Amber” LP he began creating, “just loops of noise and atmosphere, just playing with the sound directly.” Now in 2012 he delivers a brilliant retro-tinted house album that combines club-friendly beats with the kind of layered sound and laptop trickery we’re used to from the synthwave scene.

ANGULAR SHIMMERING GUITARS APLENTY FROM SONIC YOUTH’S RANALDO

THEE OH SEES PUTRIFIERS II EP

The latest in a long line of Oh Sees albums that expands the group’s sound well past your friendly neighbourhood garage band. So while the space-odyssey nods of album opener “Wax Face” actually sound like they’re meant to melt one’s ears straight off, the record is full of deviant detours, from the poison-tipped string parts and Eno-esque engineering of “So Nice” to the groove-locked Krautrock inclinations of “Lupine Dominus”.

A BRILLIANT RETRO-TINTED HOUSE ALBUM

LEE RANALDO BETWEEN THE TIMES AND THE TIDES

I know what you’re thinking - a Lee Ranaldo solo album, experimental and difficult but you couldn’t be further from the truth. “Between The Times And The Tides” is packed full of post-Sonic Youth gems, with angular shimmering guitars aplenty, and his trademark super cool vox. Lee Ranaldo steps clear from the SY shadow and delivers a tour de force in indie-rock!

AN ELEGANT EVOLUTION OF MELODIC AND RHYTHMIC INTERPLAY

EXPANDING ON THEIR GARAGE ROCK SOUND; AN ALBUM FULL OF DEVIANT DETOURS

SHACKLETON: MUSIC FOR THE QUIET HOUR / THE DRAWBAR ORGAN

Impressive new offering from Shackleton that’s split between an experimental CD that combines spoken word and dark ambience (“Music For The Quiet Hour”) and one featuring haunting but club-friendly future bass / techno collisions (“The Drawbar Organ”), the latter built around his experiments with the aforementioned organ. Muscular and visceral, dark and brooding, this is forward-looking bass music that is as far away from ringtone dubstep as you would want to get. His best yet!

MUSCULAR AND VISCERAL, DARK AND BROODING, THIS IS FORWARDLOOKING BASS MUSIC

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ALT-J AN AWESOME WAVE

Angular, arty and complex but (wait for it): CATCHY! The playing and production are astonishing, and the way they combine so many flavours: distorted, dubstep-tinged FX-laden bass, R&B grooves, acapella folk, glitchy electronica, and, of course, angular, arty guitar pop, yet still make it cohesive, is a mind-boggling achievement. This delightful cacophony is topped off by Joe Newman’s slurry and far-ranging, emotive vocals which glide and swoop over the dizzying sounds beneath.

THEESATISFACTION AWE NATURALE

Soulful hip hop grooves and general positive vibes. Stasia and Catherine’s vocals work beautifully together, at times in harmony at others playing off each other. The lyrics are poetic and political (but not in an in-your-face-way), and are variously spoken / rapped / sung over a backdrop of off-kilter beats and grooves that range from late night jazz to ‘70s funk all shaken up with a heavy dose of psychedelia. Queens Of The Stoned Age? Too right!

ANGULAR GUITARS, KOSMISCHEINFLUENCED BASSLINE, POST-PUNK GROOVES

TAME IMPALA LONERISM

This lot always get name checked by people in other bands and now I can hear why: not only do they have “The Tunes”, they now have the sound: modern-day psychedelia, blending electronic squiggles, synths and all sorts of treated sounds, to maximum effect.

SOULFUL HIPHOP GROOVES AND POSITIVE VIBES. QUEENS OF THE STONED AGE?

DISAPPEARS PRE LANGUAGE

Now including Sonic Youth’s Steve Shelley as a permanent member, Disappears return with their third and most triumphant album to date. Angular guitars, kosmischeinfluenced bassline, post-punk grooves and a half spoken half sung vocal all combine wonderfully to create this gem on Kranky Records.

THE MERCURY MUSIC PRIZE WINNER. ANGULAR, ARTY GUITAR POP WITH ADDED FLAVOURS

MODERN-DAY PSYCHEDELIA, BLENDING ELECTRONIC SQUIGGLES AND SYNTHS

THE XX COEXIST

Even more dazzling than their last! Where “XX” leant in close to whisper in your ear, “Coexist” gazes warmly into your eyes. Much has happened to lead to this point: most pertinently, they’ve grown up. The vocals are intimate and soulful while subtle club rhythms chug along nicely to give it all just the right amount of impact.

“XX” LEANT IN CLOSE TO WHISPER IN YOUR EAR, “COEXIST” GAZES WARMLY INTO YOUR EYES

THE TOP 100 ALBUMS

WOOLFY VS PROJECTIONS THE RETURN OF LOVE

Almost four years after the first album Californian duo Simon and Dan aka Woolfy Vs. Projections bring us “The Return Of Love”. The influences on the album oscillate between the likes of Wings, David Crosby, Bryan Ferry and today’s disco leaving the boundaries of electronic music far behind them. Packed with proper songwriting, dreamy synth washes, chugging rhythms and a combination of electronic and acoustic instrumentation, this is an essential album for Balearic types.

ACTRESS RIP

Between sleep and the void lies the electronic interzone of Actress. Following the monumental success of “Splazsh”, South London producer Darren Cunningham returns with a suite of electronic laments, tone structures and dreamtime rhythms which all carry his unmistakable fingerprint. “RIP” comprises 15 tracks painstakingly crafted by Cunningham over recent years, with a conceptual arc taking in death, life, sleep and religion.

AN ICY DARKWAVE SOUND SWATHED IN A POST-PUNK SHEEN

POLLYN LIVING IN PATTERNS

The follow up to 2008’s “This Little Night”, “Living In Patterns” is a heady blend of new wave spook, punk-funk, disco-not-disco, hazy electronics and atmospheric pop. As cool as it is cosy the delicately arranged, eleven track record is a step away from the more Portishead-esque efforts of the past; aligning itself with a moodier, funkier, Afro-beat ancestry drawn from elements of Creatures and Talking Heads.

A SUITE OF ELECTRONIC LAMENTS, TONE STRUCTURES AND DREAMTIME RHYTHMS

THE SOFT MOON ZEROS

Oakland’s Luis Vasquez AKA Soft Moon returns with his second full length album, “Zeros”. Swathed in an early post-punk sheen “Zeros” takes his icy darkwave sound back to the future with a post-apocalyptic soundscape that recalls early Cure and Bauhaus within a cloud of swirling synth noise.

BEYOND THE BOUNDARIES OF ELECTRONIC MUSIC; ESSENTIAL FOR BALEARIC TYPES

PUNK-FUNK, DISCO-NOTDISCO, HAZY ELECTRONICS AND ATMOSPHERIC POP

EAT LIGHTS BECOME LIGHTS HEAVY ELECTRICS

Eat lights Become lights were formed in London in the Winter of 2007 by Neil Rudd. This is the follow up to debut album “Autopia”, evoking the classic kosmische bands from the ‘70s but making the sound very much his own he creates a heady mix of driving guitars, motorik beats, drones, and bleepy synths.

DRIVING GUITARS, MOTORIK BEATS, DRONES, AND BLEEPY SYNTHS

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WILD NOTHING NOCTURNE

The debut, “Gemini” was written before there were Wild Nothing fans or even a live band; “Nocturne” is different. With an unexpected fanbase to turn to, Jack spent more time perfecting his craft. The obsessiveness of “Nocturne” is inherent in its gentle harmonies, orchestrated synths, wandering voice, and songs that speak of his post-Gemini experiences as he explores new paradoxes of pop. Very C86, very dream-pop, very beautiful.

BEACHWOOD SPARKS THE TARNISHED GOLD

The world has caught up with Beachwood Sparks since they came out of nowhere in 2000 with their self-titled debut album, bringing new life to what Gram Parsons famously described as “cosmic American music”, and recapturing LA’s laidback but vibrant heyday back in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s. Now ten years after they split they’re back with their third album and it’s the best thing they’ve ever done. Beachwood Sparks break the rules of rock with this beautiful album.

THE CLASSIC SWANS “SOUND”; INTENSE, POWERFUL AND PURE

FIELD MUSIC PLUMB

Field Music (aka Sunderland siblings Peter and David Brewis) bring us their hugely anticipated fourth album. And it’s amazing; the tracks are a bit mathy and proggy, but the difference with Field Music is they’re always poppy! This record sounds like one enormous song with a thousand different parts, all perfectly slotted together like a crazy musical jigsaw. Unbelievable!

RECAPTURING LA’S LAIDBACK BUT VIBRANT HEYDAY

SWANS THE SEER

The mighty Swans return with “The Seer”. From ribcage crushing noise to gentle acoustic passages, this has all the hallmarks of the classic Swans “sound”; intense, powerful and pure. “The Seer took 30 years to make. It’s the culmination of every previous Swans album as well as any other music I’ve ever made, been involved in, or imagined.” - Michael Gira (Swans).

VERY C86, VERY DREAMPOP, VERY BEAUTIFUL

MATHY AND PROGGY, BUT AS ALWAYS WITH FM, POPPY!

JACK WHITE BLUNDERBUSS

Produced by White and recorded at his own Third Man Studio in Nashville, “Blunderbuss” has been described by White as “an album I couldn’t have released until now. I’ve put off making records under my own name for a long time but these songs feel like they could only be presented under my name. These songs were written from scratch, had nothing to do with anyone or anything else but my own expression, my own colours on my own canvas.”

JACK “WHITE STRIPES” WHITE’S HUGE DEBUT SOLO ALBUM

THE TOP 100 ALBUMS

BILL FAY LIFE IS PEOPLE

Bill Fay is one of English music’s best kept secrets. At the dawn of the 1970s he was a one-man song factory, with a piano that spilled liquid gold and a voice every bit the equal of Ray Davies, John Lennon, and early Bowie. Now, in his late sixties, he has produced a brand new studio album that shows that his profoundly humanist vision is as strong as it ever was. An absolutely beautiful, slow, sad and epic record.

FÜXA ELECTRIC SOUND OF SUMMER

A decade in the making, Füxa – comprising Randall Nieman, alongside Tom Meade and special guests – returns with nine songs of supercharged seasonal splendour. “Electric Sound of Summer” is perhaps Nieman’s most cohesive record yet, a top notch space-rock album that blends bubbling and swirling synth soundscapes with melodic vocals.

DEEP SOUTH SOUL-ROCK TOPPED WITH BRITTANY’S POWERFUL VOCALS

CAT POWER SUN

Chan Marshall aka Cat Power returns with her first album of original material in six years. “Sun” strides confidently over a sonic palette of swaggering guitars, electronic beats, haunting melodies and vocal hooks aplenty all swept along with a fresh multi-layered production.

COHESIVE SPACE-ROCK; SWIRLING SYNTH SOUNDSCAPES, AND MELODIC VOCALS

ALABAMA SHAKES BOYS & GIRLS

Released in early Spring on a wave of “the next big thing” type hype this album has actually lasted the distance and then some. Enigmatic vocalist Brittany Howard and her band kick out top quality deep South soul-rock bringing to mind the likes of Afghan Whigs, early Kings Of Leon and Muscle Shoals period Rolling Stones.

AN ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL, SLOW, SAD AND EPIC RECORD

SWAGGERING GUITARS, HAUNTING MELODIES AND VOCAL HOOKS APLENTY

SEAHAWKS AQUA DISCO

Seahawks are back once again with a supremely psychedelic dip into the ocean of sound, and on each new swim they just keep getting better and better! This time accompanied by a full roster of real musicians, the Seahawks sound has become fully five dimensional. Spaced-out aquatic Afro-jazz, interstellar lilo-funk and new age disco are just a few of the ports of call. All aboard!

SPACED-OUT AQUATIC AFRO-JAZZ, INTERSTELLAR LILO-FUNK AND NEW AGE DISCO

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MARIA MINERVA WILL HAPPINESS FIND ME?

“Will Happiness Find Me?” connects the avant-pop dots between future-shock pirate radio singles, hermetic tone studies, late-night wanderlust lullabies, tape-faded club dee-lights, sampladelic vocal exploratoriums, private-press art pranks and even ambient hip-hop melancholia.

TIM BURGESS OH NO I LOVE YOU

This second solo album from Tim is very different from anything he’s produced with The Charlatans. Co-written with Kurt Wagner from Lambchop, Tim’s description of it as a “North Western” album sums it up brilliantly: It’s a wonderfully soulful album that combines Nashville country influences with northern (English) attitude. The more we listen to this, the more we love it!

A DREAMY, LOVELORN SWIRL: GORGEOUS, CATCHY, NEARCLASSICS

STEALING SHEEP INTO THE DIAMOND SUN

“Into The Diamond Sun” is a glimmering, shimmering work, where Rebecca, Emily and Lucy’s unique visions of music warp into a singular whole. It’s also an exceptional addition to Liverpool’s celebrated lineage of unconventional art and music. Mainly folky, but also psychy and creatively lo-fi, it’s the sweet harmonies that’ll pull you in. Ace and lovely.

WONDERFULLY SOULFUL; NASHVILLE INFLUENCES WITH NORTHERN (ENGLISH) ATTITUDE

BEACH HOUSE BLOOM

Beach House have settled on their sound; it’s a dreamy, lovelorn swirl. Meanwhile, it’s the songs that have stepped up: gorgeous, catchy, near-classics. Vocalist Victoria Legrand states, “Bloom is a journey. For me, it is about the irreplaceable power of imagination as it relates to the intense experience of living. A bloom is only temporary... a fleeting vision of life in all of its intensity and colour, beautiful even if only for a moment.”

CONNECTS ALL THE AVANTPOP DOTS

FOLKY, PSYCHY AND CREATIVELY LO-FI; AND SWEET HARMONIES THAT PULL YOU IN

JJ DOOM KEY TO THE KUFFS

Debut collaborative album from MF DOOM and Jneiro Jarel under the moniker JJ DOOM. DOOM provided the bulk of the vocals and compiled the cut and paste skits. DOOM recorded the album while banished from the States and living in London. Jneiro recording the beats in the Dirty South, got into a UK state mind, and turned in heavy hip hop production that leans towards grime, dubstep and British techno.

MF DOOM AND JNEIRO JAREL; RAP, GRIME, DUBSTEP AND BRITISH TECHNO

THE TOP 100 ALBUMS

51. MARK LANEGAN BAND BLUES FUNERAL The whole album “grooves” to varying degrees, from slow and soulful, to Kraut-ish metronomy, to almost funky! As ever, Mark’s dark tales, delivered in his distinctive gravelly tones win us over.

52. PORCELAIN RAFT STRANGE WEEKEND Serene and utterly gorgeous, welcome to the world of Porcelain Raft. An angelic vocal that floats majestically over a delicate and melancholic soundscape.

53. DIIV OSHIN DIIV bring us super bright and jangly indie-pop with a frosty shimmering glaze and a psych-tinted krautrock undercurrent.

54. LIGHTSHIPS ELECTRIC CABLES The songs are classic, but that’s a given if you’re in Teenage Fanclub. The sound is the thing: Hazy, shimmery, light and floaty and with a flute dipping in and out. It’s the perfect summer record.

55. THE JIM JONES REVUE THE SAVAGE HEART

59. FLAVOR CRYSTALS THREE Four years on from their celebrated “Ambergris” album they return with more reverb drenched guitars, hushed vocals and general laidback narcotic dreaminess.

60. CARLTON MELTON PHOTOS OF PHOTOS Superb molten drone-psych that smoulders along in an improv psych jam style whilst synthy interludes sneak in and out, and humongous riffs slay all before them. Immense!

61. DIRTY PROJECTORS SWING LO MAGELLAN Long time projectors fans won’t be disappointed, “Swing Lo Magellan” takes off were “Bitte Orca” left off. David Longstreth employs his usual spectacular song writing skills again to maximum effect.

62. HOLOGRAMS HOLOGRAMS Holograms’ sound synthesizes the drudgery of dismal existence with a lust for something better; echoing both the violent abandonment of punk as well as some of the electronic gloss of early ‘80s new wave.

63. M. WARD A WASTELAND COMPANION

JJR explore a virtual “heart of darkness” of new musical territory in the form of tribal stomps, field hollers, acapella rave-ups, and even a fuzzed-out, feedback-laden doo-wop ballad.

He’s back with his sixth solo album! The gorgeous voice, the dextrous strum ‘n’ pick, the classic tunes, they’re all present and correct. Rave on.

56. ARIEL PINK’S HAUNTED GRAFFITI MATURE THEMES

64. THE FLAMING LIPS THE FLAMING LIPS & HEADY FWENDS

Sheer brilliance. Often absurd and lyrically insane, but crammed full of so many melodic detours and crazy ideas, that you can only marvel at his inventiveness. He’s a (twisted) superstar!

57. HOW TO DRESS WELL TOTAL LOSS Following his Tri Angle LP outing, How To Dress Well is back with more of his post-R&B, slow-fi, synthwave-tinted melancholic pop.

58. DAPHNI JIAOLONG Debut long player from Daphni, aka Caribou on his own Jiaolong imprint. It’s a stunning collection of ultra-hypnotic techno, house and electronic, with hints of African influences.

Maybe the Lips’ most adventurous recorded experience to date, embracing vocal and musical assistance from such disparate playmates as Yoko Ono, Nick Cave, Erykah Badu, Bon Iver, Ke$ha and many more.

65. THE SHINS PORT OF MORROW Big, clear, crisp pop, with enough of a twist to keep us lot happy. James Mercer has simply become an outstanding songwriter.

66. POLIÇA GIVE YOU THE GHOST Minneapolis continues its golden run of producing quality talent with the first project to arrive out the Gayngs collective, the super slick electronic pop-soul outfit Poliça.

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67. ETERNAL TAPESTRY A WORLD OUT OF TIME The closest that Eternal Tapestry have ever got to a more traditional “pop” song structure. While still full of epic psych passages, it also contains the band’s first ballad.

68. ULTRAÍSTA ULTRAÍSTA Ultraísta, the multimedia trio of Laura Bettinson, Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich and Joey Waronker bring us ten tracks of exquisitely crafted electronic kraut-pop for this phenomenal first outing.

69. SYMMETRY THEME FOR AN IMAGINARY FILM Italians Do It Better get all cinematic on this three-years-in-the-making album featuring all the usual IDIB peeps at the controls. Inspired by Johnny Jewell’s work on the “Drive” soundtrack.

70. DUSTED TOTAL DUST From Holy Fuck’s Brian Borcherdt. There’s a whole lot of effects and lo-fi sprinkled over it, in the best way possible. And did I mention there are drum machines!?

71. YETI LANE THE ECHO SHOW Superb psych-kosmische indie-pop mantras from this Parisian duo. It’s Grandaddy gone Krautrock and it’s heavenly.

72. MUNGOLIAN JETSET MUNGODELICS More Nordic cosmic-Balearic delights from the Mungs! On previous albums Mungolian Jetset have hinted at brilliance, on “Mungodelics” greatness takes centre stage.

73. MOCK & TOOF TEMPORARY HAPPINESS There aren’t many “dance” outfits that can pull off decent, catchy albums these days, but Mock & Toof are once such production duo. Disco, house, Balearic, boogie, electro, upbeat, downbeat... It’s all here.

74. HOODED FANG TOSTA MISTA Top drawer ‘60s infused garage pop - like a cross between the Strokes and a more playful Black Lips. This will be essential to all lovers of the Nuggets and Pebbles series.

75. SUN ARAW THE INNER TREATY “The Inner Treaty” sees Stallones take us on an improvised and deeply cosmic trip to the outer limits of his mind, step inside if you dare!

76. FRANKIE ROSE INTERSTELLAR Completely different from her super debut, but in its own way just as compelling. This is shoegazey, slightly wonky, deep ‘n’ doomy, romantic pop.

77. OM ADVAITIC SONGS Breaking away from the shackles of the doom genre, OM now tread a more varied, progressive and sophisticated path. That’s not to say they don’t ROCK anymore though, they can still shake the core of the earth at the drop of a hat!

78. ANIMAL COLLECTIVE CENTIPEDE HZ They had a tough act to follow with their last release lurking close behind, but it looks like they’ve done it! Expect a mixing pot of tones from dark dance-pop to even darker krautrock.

79. HOLY OTHER HELD Holy Other adds monastic atmospherics to his blend of R&B, UK garage, funereal pop and house sounds for his long-overdue second album.

80. WHITE HILLS FRYING ON THIS ROCK More epic fuzz-psych onslaughts from the current leaders of the pack. Molten guitars and a pummelling rhythm section, create a swirling wave of noise taking space rock to new dimensions.

81. COLORAMA GOOD MUSIC Another great album from the Welsh wizard. It’s got psychedelic touches, quirky lyrical styles, strange subject matter and all overlaid with gorgeous playing and Carwyn’s distinctive voice.

82. DARK HORSES BLACK MUSIC Very cool and very dark indie psych-pop. Dark Horses come across as Stooges meets the Manson Family meets Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, mixed with Andy Warhol’s Factory art collective.

83. EL-P CANCER4CURE Deploying menacing synths, fist-pumping beats, bottomless bass, live instrumentation and ear-worming melody, and generally setting the standard for hip hop production higher than ever.

THE TOP 100 ALBUMS

84. NITE JEWEL ONE SECOND OF LOVE Nite Jewel takes her love of the golden era of R&B pop and filters it through a 2012 haze. Co-produced by longtime collaborator Cole MGN (Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti).

85. METZ METZ A ferocious release from Toronto based Metz, they don’t mess around. You could be forgiven for mistaking the song “Rats” for something off Nirvana’s “Bleach”. This is punk done right.

86. THE CINEMATIC ORCHESTRA PRESENTS IN MOTION #1 Jason Swinscoe invites some of his favourite musicians and producers to provide soundtracks to, or musical re-imaginings of, seminal work by great filmmakers. Amazing stuff.

87. LINDSTRØM SMALHANS “Smalhans” unashamedly 4/4 techno rhythms and bubbling, nutritious analogue synth sounds are set to inject a vitamin kick to dancefloors everywhere. Perfect for those long winter nights.

88. BOBBY WOMACK THE BRAVEST MAN IN THE UNIVERSE Bobby Womack’s first album in 18 years, co-produced by Damon Albarn. Soul with a downbeat edge. Includes vocal contributions from Fatoumata Diawara and Lana Del Rey.

89. THE GASLAMP KILLER BREAKTHROUGH Blending California-inspired psych with widespread global influences, “Breakthrough” is a musical anachronism, an unconstrained compilation from a wandering spirit. Bonkers!

90. CALEXICO ALGIERS Arguably the most exciting and accessible Calexico record to date. It speaks of dusty deserts and the loners that inhabit them, mixing America’s country music heritage with that of a Latin persuasion.

91. TY SEGALL BAND SLAUGHTERHOUSE Ty Segall takes to the studio with his touring band and powers his psych-pop into the red, with full on fuzz pedal overloads. Top notch freak-out action!

92. SWEET LIGHTS SWEET LIGHTS Massive songs with a Big Star heart-rending vibe. The production is way deeper than just jangling guitars though. This is a rich, melodic pop / rock record. A potential classic album straight out of nowhere!

93. THE ORB FEATURING LEE ‘SCRATCH’ PERRY THE ORBSERVER IN THE STAR HOUSE The mouth-watering prospect of a legendary master working with long-time acolytes who tuned into his unique wavelength long ago blossoms, a match made in ambient-dub heaven!

94. SIGUR RÓS VALTARI Their sixth album and Sigur Ros deliver an album of epic proportions combining their unique atmospherics and the stunning vocals of Jón Þór Birgisson.

95. ADRIAN SHERWOOD SURVIVAL & RESISTANCE Dark atmospherics, creeping electronics and an almost orchestral approach to arrangement are married to brilliant melodic sense. Bass-heavy dub reggae cuts in true Sherwood style.

96. MY BEST FIEND IN GHOSTLIKE FADING Dreamy expansive and spacious, My Best Fiend’s debut on Warp hits with sublime narcotic intent. Nine tracks of laid-back and shimmering psych-rock.

97. LANA DEL REY BORN TO DIE For sure this is a slick “pop” album, but with her sultry vocal delivery and simply stunning moody songs, there’s more than enough here to keep an indie kid happy.

98. LAUREL HALO QUARANTINE Laurel Halo has developed a self-contained take on electronic music, collapsing the boundaries between ambient, pop, synthetic psychedelia, dub and the techno music of her Midwest roots.

99. JOHN TALABOT FIN Eleven tracks dominated by dark ambiences, gaseous textures and bittersweet moods that, above all, reveal a kind of vivacity that’s really hard to find in contemporary electronics.

100. HOWSE LAY HOLLOW Howse has crafted a chaotic, wired sound that draws inspiration from juke and jungle, taking those influences and twisting them into something blasted and blown out.

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LATE ARRIVALS

SOME LATE ARRIVALS In order to get this booklet in the shop by the end of November we compile the chart in early October, inevitably that means some fantastic albums miss out on the Top 100 albums and Compilations charts, here’s 10 albums in alphabetical order that’d feature prominently if they were released earlier in the year. ALLAH-LAS ALLAH-LAS Superb ‘60s drenched jangly Californian psych, if you loved the last Black Lips album you’re gonna need this.

BY THE SEA BY THE SEA Debut album from this Wirral band; key era Stone Roses and The Go-Betweens, via a passing nod to Liverpool’s rich musical heritage.

CLINIC FREE REIGN Musically spacious whilst being at the same time as powerful, visceral and rhythmically charged as anything the band have ever recorded.

CRYSTAL CASTLES III Ditching their old synths and keyboards, the Canadian duo have conjured up a collection of songs that are as raw as they are well rounded.

MAC DEMARCO 2 His first proper full length album, full of quirky garagey gems and a slanted nod to the cool melodic pull of prime time Pavement.

MELODY’S ECHO CHAMBER MELODY’S ECHO CHAMBER If you like Tame Impala you will love this, although the sound is similar, this is cleaner and prettier. More than fitting for Melody’s vocals.

JESSICA PRATT JESSICA PRATT Super cool vinyl only (for now anyway) release, a mystical folk gem that sounds like it’s from the ‘60s but isn’t; like Stevie Nicks singing over David Crosby demos, with the intimacy of a Sibylle Baier. SINKANE MARS Dense with deep, polyrhythmic grooves that refer as much to early ‘70s underground soul as it does back to Sudan, Ahmad (AKA Sinkane) Gallab’s home country. ANDY STOTT LUXURY PROBLEMS Manchester producer Andy Stott employs the glassy beauty of Alison Skidmore’s vocals to add warmth to an album of glitchy, contemplative dub techno horizons . VARIOUS ARTISTS INTO THE LIGHT: A JOURNEY INTO GREEK ELECTRONIC MUSIC, CLASSICS & RARITIES (1978-1991) Greek electronic music has been a much checked underground sound since the late ‘70s. ”Into The Light” merges synth pop and disco with ambient and new age. A Balearic hit!

B E L LA U N I O N R E C O R D S

2012

celebrating 15 years

Beach House

Dirty Three

Father John Misty

Lawrence Arabia

Fear Fun

The Sparrow

Q **** NME 9/10

Uncut **** The Independent *****

MOJO **** The Fly ****

PINS

Poor Moon

Ryan Francesconi & Mirabai Peart

Q **** The Guardian ****

NME 7/10 Fake DIY 8/10

MOJO **** Fake DIY 8/10

The Flaming Lips

The Walkmen

Van Dyke Parks

Wild Nothing

Observer CD of the Week The Independent ****

NME 8/10 The Times ****

Q **** Pitchfork 9.0

The Fly **** Pitchfork 8.3

Bloom

Toward The Low Sun

MOJO **** Uncut ****

M. Ward

A Wasteland Companion

The Flaming Lips & Heady Fwends

LuvU4Lyf

Heaven

Poor Moon

Song Cycle

www.bellaunion.com

Road To Palios 03.12.2012

Nocturne

P I C C A D I L LY R E C O R D S C O M P I L AT I O N O F T H E Y E A R 2 0 1 2

COUNTRY FUNK 1969 – 1975 What in the hell is Country Funk you ask? The answer is a complicated one, in part due to the fact that Country Funk is an inherently defiant genre, escaping all efforts at easy categorization. The style encompasses the elation of gospel with the sexual thrust of the blues, country hoedown harmony with inner city grit. It is alternately playful and melancholic, slow jammin’, and booty shakin’. It is both studio slick and barroom raw. And while these all may seem unlikely combinations at first glance, upon close listen, it all makes sweet sense.

Light In The Attic presents “Country Funk 1969-1975”, a melting pot concoction of the music of Dale Hawkins, John Randolph Marr, Cherokee, Johnny Adams, Mac Davis, Bob Darin, Jim Ford, Gray Fox, Link Wray, Bobby Charles, Tony Joe White, Dennis The Fox, Larry Jon Wilson, Bobbie Gentry, Gritz, and Johnny Jenkins. Featuring extensive liner notes by Jessica Hundley (MOJO, The New York Times, Vogue), original album / label artwork, and new illustrations by Jess Rotter, this down home package is not only a treat for the ears, but a feast for the eyes. Think of this as a fantasyland where the Josie-era Meters back young Elvis singing Kris Kristofferson-penned slices of rustic American life and you’ll begin to understand the country funk vibe. It’s from the swamp to the city and all points in between.

THE TOP 20 COMPILATIONS: COMPILATION OF THE YEAR

“COUNTRY FUNK” IS A TAG-LINE FOR A CERTAIN STYLE, A CERTAIN FEEL, A CERTAIN COOL,IT’S A MELTING POT OF SOUNDS AND STYLES The genius behind the Country Funk project is Los-Angelesbased DJ Turquoise Wisdom (aka Zach Cowie). Years ago, Zach mentioned something about “Country Funk” – two genres that I heavily loved but two words I never heard used in the same sentence. I was transfixed to learn more. After some prodding, he played me a few favorites of the genre – Tony Joe White, Larry Jon Wilson, Jim Ford, and Bob Darin. We were familiar with many of the artists but Zach expertly hand-picked the tracks with a couple of selections from Patrick McCarthy at Light In The Attic, I handled the licensing, Jessica Hundley wrote the notes, illustrator Jess Rotter put together all the brilliant art, and the comp was finally born. I’m told that the name “Country Funk” came about while Zach was touring in his early 20’s with artists like Vetiver, Devendra Banhart, and Vashti Bunyan. Long drives with fellow record nerds making up new genres for recent LP finds. It may have been Chris Smith from Espers or Kevin Barker who first coined the term.

As we were compiling the project, there became a common thread discussing memories of the mystical South – a place of slow moving rivers and collard greens – or a southerner’s journey west to Los Angeles for beach, whiskey, and the hope of something new. Not something that was totally obvious when we set out to do the project. “Georgia Morning Dew” by Johnny Adams is one of those tunes, along with “L.A. Memphis Tyler Texas” by Dale Hawkins and “Hello L.A., Bye-Bye Birmingham” by John Randolph Marr. A personal favorite has to be Tony Joe White’s “Stud Spider.” I’ve often wondered what in the hell is a ‘stud spider.’ Jessica interviewed Tony for the notes and in his deep southern drawl he cleared it up – but not exactly what we had in mind – “I was just thinking about the spider, this stud just strutting. It’s swampy in it’s own way that song – but it also has the strut.” Undeniable. Matt Sullivan founder/co-owner, Light In The Attic Records.

Darryl Says: Supreme reissue label Light In The Attic celebrate their 10th anniversary in style with this wonderful compilation. Rather than being a definitive genre, “Country Funk” is more of a tag-line for a certain style, a certain feel, a certain cool; it’s a melting pot of sounds and styles, “a badass playlist” as Pitchfork puts it, that all somehow come together to create a distinctive vibe, it’s “Country Funk”.

TRACKLISTING 1. Dale Hawkins: L.A. Memphis Tyler Texas 2. John Randolph Marr: Hello L.A., Bye-Bye Birmingham 3. Johnny Adams: Georgia Morning Dew 4. Mac Davis: Lucas Was A Redneck 5. Bob Darin: Light Blue

6. Jim Ford: I’m Gonna Make Her Love Me 7. Gray Fox: Hawg Frog 8. Link Wray: Fire And Brimstone 9. Bobby Charles: Street People 10. Cherokee: Funky Business 11. Tony Joe White: Stud Spider 12. Dennis The Fox: Piledriver

13. Larry Jon Wilson: Ohoopee River Bottomland 14. Bobbie Gentry: He Made A Woman Out Of Me 15. Gritz: Bayou Country 16. Johnny Jenkins: I Walk On Gilded Splinters

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TREVOR JACKSON PRESENTS METAL DANCE INDUSTRIAL / POST-PUNK / EBM – CLASSICS & RARITIES

Strut present “Metal Dance”, a new compilation from one of the UK’s most respected DJ / producers, the man behind Playgroup and original founder of the legendary label Output Recordings, Trevor Jackson. “Metal Dance” mines deep and closes in on the more underground and danceable side of industrial, post-punk and EBM (Electronic

FAC. DANCE 02 – FACTORY RECORDS 12” MIXES & RARITIES 1980 – 1987

Strut release the second album in the “Fac. Dance” series bringing together more sought after 12” versions and rarities from Manchester’s revered Factory Records imprint. Despite a reputation for austere post-punk, the label’s first decade produced a slew of landmark dance records, primarily brought to the label by Rob Gretton, who

valued tunes and beats over Situationist theory and laboratory experiments in popular art. Conversely, founder Tony Wilson disparaged pure dance music as lacking intellectual rigour. As a result, this second collection of early Factory dance sides occupies a compelling middle ground.

PSYCHEMAGIK PRESENT MAGIK CYRKLES

As well as prolific producers, Psychemagik are also vinyl collectors at heart, a passion that has led them to be the go-to guys when other collectors are looking for that elusive piece of wax. This love of digging deep for those obscure and long lost vinyl gems is the basis of their new “Magik Cyrkles” compilation. The fruit of many years

Body Music), a phrase coined by Ralf Hütter of Kraftwerk but honed by later bands like DAF and Front 242 as socialist realist aesthetics were dragged onto the dancefloor during the mid-80s. Herein lie sounds that have heavily influenced today’s crop of artists – from LCD Soundsystem and The Knife to Factory Floor and Hot Chip.

digging, the compilation is a snap shot of music you might hear in a Psychemagik DJ set. The album takes its inspiration from all corners of the globe, travelling through psychedelic funk, cosmic disco, Balearica, Middle Eastern beats and beyond…

CLIFF MARTINEZ PRESENTS… DRIVE O.S.T.

The Drive soundtrack features dark electro / synthwave tracks from the likes of Kavinsky & Lovefoxxx (CSS), Desire and Chromatics (Italians Do It Better), and Riziero Ortolani & Rina Ranieri as well as the stunning score for movie by Cliff Martinez, a recognized American composer and former drummer most known for his work with the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

“One thing that was unique for me about this project was having songs exert such a strong influence on the score,” said Martinez. “That helped to create a unified, one-size-fits-all, style of soundtrack…the 80s electronic pop style made a lot of sense to me. I knew that Nicolas (Refn, director) was in love with that sound and I saw a way to acknowledge it with vintage synth sounds and cover most of the dramatic food groups while referencing that style.”

THE TOP 20 COMPILATIONS

5 YEARS OF CLAREMONT 56 COMPILED, EDITED AND MIXED BY THE IDJUT BOYS

Claremont 56 celebrate five years of existence by bringing out this super-deluxe and super-limited triple CD compilation, with the first two CDs containing 24 tracks as picked by the Idjut Boys. CD three contains a live mix of the Claremont 56

SOFRITO INTERNATIONAL SOUNDCLASH

Strut link up again with leading lights in the new generation of collectives celebrating heavy tropical music, Sofrito. Fuelled by the unquenchable thirst of DJs Hugo Mendez and Frankie Francis to turn up new music and explore sounds from across the

This triple mix CD celebrates the sounds of his current Love From Outer Space club nights, letting the mix build over the three discs. Packed with his own reworks and other electronic house and Balearic anthems, this is a must-have.

PERSONAL SPACE ELECTRONIC SOUL 1974 – 1984

Flowering in the mid-to-late ‘70s, affordable high-quality tape recorders, synthesizers, and simple drum machines permitted the aspiring artist to never leave his home, never request the assistance of another human being. This collection

ages, Sofrito has built a unique reputation since it began life in the warehouses of East London in the mid 2000s. The new selection effortlessly mixes the old with the new, plucking dusty gems from Trinidad, Colombia, Dominica, Congo, Cameroun and beyond.

MASTERPIECE ANDREW WEATHERALL

Ministry Of Sound’s new “Masterpiece” series brings us compilations by legends from the world of music that have a story to tell through their own influences and inspirations. For the latest offering the “Masterpiece” series welcomes Andrew Weatherall to the fold.

best of the best by the Idjut Boys, complete with efx and colouration - just like one of their live DJ sets. Balearic bliss, kraut-disco, post-punk... It’s all here.

presents the unheard underground of the self-produced, often solo, electronic soul world of the ‘70s and early ‘80s, offering a view into an ocean of sound that is in turn peaceful, bizarre, funky, and often humbly ahead of its time.

LATE NIGHT TALES METRONOMY

As a pop group, Metronomy are more Four Tet than Fab Four, though with a sense of adventure that would’ve made the Fabs proud. Their outing under the Late Night Tales banner journeys

through the inspirations of the band’s ever moving sound – along with a few surprises. The 20 track set takes in hip hop, R&B, prog rock, soft-pop, electronica, folk and much more.

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EROL ALKAN ANOTHER BUGGED OUT MIX & BUGGED IN SELECTION

After his hugely successful Bugged Out DJ mix CD from 2005, Alkan finally collaborates once more with the club to bring us another double-headed selection of stay-at-home gems or get-on-thedancefloor club bangers. Spread over 39 tracks on

PRIVATE WAX — SUPER RARE BOOGIE & DISCO COMPILED BY ZAFSMUSIC.COM

Zafsmusic.com continues to bring us the rarest disco and boogie bangers with his new compilation titled “Private Wax - Super Rare Boogie & Disco”. Fifteen scintillating excursions into the deep disco and boogie world of privately pressed and

The perfect companion album to Trevor Jackson’s “Metal Dance” compilation, and another ace selection of worldwide post-punk electronic music.

INTERNATIONAL FEEL A COMPILATION

At last CD buyers can get their mitts on International Feel’s previously vinyl-only Balearic / cosmic / house gems from the likes of Harvey, Gatto Fritto, Maxxi & Zeus, Gonno, Bubble Club

produced gems. Like some ancient mariner of disco, with this collection he has artfully navigated from haven to haven, avoiding the immense Sargasso Seas.

THE MINIMAL WAVE TAPES VOLUME TWO

The Minimal Wave musical genre was hallmarked by the use of the analogue synths and drum machines manufactured in the ‘70s and ‘80s, and characterized by simple music structures made by musicians working in the early DIY aesthetic.

two CDs or 10 on a double LP, the set features a wide variety of music, with both sides featuring cuts from four decades. House, electro, techno, disco, synthwave, dubstep, indie, rock, soft-pop and more. An impressive effort indeed!

and many more. This double CD collection also features a handful of new exclusives, making it an absolute essential.

LATE NIGHT TALES BELLE AND SEBASTIAN (VOLUME 2)

This selection delves deeper into their shared influences and inspirations, along with a subtle nod to digging for rare sampled beats: not perhaps a trait usually associated with Belle And Sebastian. Their first Late Night compilation

surprised everybody: cool, groovy, psychedelic and funky, not what you’d expect really. This one is even better – prepare to have your musical taste buds tickled.

THE TOP 20 COMPILATIONS

NICK CAVE AND WARREN ELLIS PRESENT LAWLESS O.S.T.

Lawless tells the true story of the Bondurant Brothers, bootleggers who take the law into their own hands during the prohibition era. The soundtrack is a major part of the movie, and features rootsy bluegrass, gospel, country and

MAN CHEST HAIR

“Man Chest Hair” liberates 17 heroic outbursts of rare and unreleased Northern testosterone from Mancunian pop’s awkward coming of age purple period. The hairy funk and hard rock foundations of Manc punk and metal laid down by the self-sufficient post-beat unsignables.

Everything Everything, Durruti Column and Jez Kerr, along with tracks from The Travelling Band, Dutch Uncles, No Ceremony///, Janice Graham Band, Air Cav, Mr Scruff, Barry Adamson, D/R/U/G/s, Lonelady and loads more.

VOGUING VOGUING AND THE HOUSE BALLROOM SCENE OF NEW YORK CITY 1976-96

Packed with house and disco classics, this album features the tracks that soundtracked the voguing era. Voguing, where dancers choreographed movements and poses taken from fashion

“Man Chest Hair” documents the missing stink between The Hollies, The Hermits, Hamburg, Hannett and Hotlegs with a HEAVY emphasis on dirty drums and filthy fuzz from beneath the black rainclouds of Greater Manchester.

THIRTY ONE

A collection of tracks from Manchester, featuring rare and exclusive songs from both established and emerging artists and groups, with all profits from the release going to the CALM charity. Includes exclusive tracks from Elbow, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, I Am Kloot,

contemporary songs performed by Nick Cave, Warren Ellis, Emmylou Harris, Ralph Stanley and Mark Lanegan. The Bootleggers were put together especially for the soundtrack recording by Nick Cave.

magazines such as Vogue, first emerged around 1988 in the extraordinary “house ball” community of Harlem, New York. Stick it on and get ready to “strike a pose”.

TOO HIGH TO MOVE THE QUIET VILLAGE REMIXES

Since their 2008 debut album, Quiet Village, aka Matt Edwards and Joel Martin have been exploring other music avenues under their Maxxi & Zeus moniker. Now they are back, with “Too High To Move” a compilation of their most

inspiring and sought after remixes to date, stitched together with love by Maxxi & Zeus. This exquisite compilation is the perfect soundtrack for sundrenched summer evenings or by the Balearic poolside shenanigans. Enjoy the journey!

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P I C C A D I L LY R E C O R D S R E I S S U E / C O L L E C T I O N O F T H E Y E A R 2 0 1 2

CAN THE LOST TAPES “The Lost Tapes” was curated by Irmin Schmidt and Daniel Miller, compiled by Irmin Schmidt and Jono Podmore, and edited by Jono Podmore. When the legendary Can studio in Weilerswist was sold to the German Rock N Pop Museum, they bought everything, including the army mattresses that covered the walls for sound protection, and relocated it to Gronau. Whilst dismantling the studio, master tapes were found and stored in the Spoon archive. With barely legible labelling, no one was sure what was on these until Irmin Schmidt and long time collaborator Jono Podmore started to go through over 30 hours of music. What they found was years of archived material, not outtakes, but rather tracks which had been shelved for a variety of reasons – soundtracks to films that were never

released and tracks that didn’t make it onto the final versions of albums due to space. Irmin Schmidt explains “Obviously the tapes weren’t really lost, but were left in the cupboards of the studio archives for so long everybody just forgot about them. Everybody except Hildegard, who watches over Can and its work like the dragon over the gold of the Nibelungen and doesn’t allow forgetting.” The final cut of tracks, dating from 1968-1977, features studio material recorded at Schloss Nörvenich and Can Studio, Weilerswist with the Can line up of Holger Czukay on bass, Michael Karoli on guitars, Jaki Liebezeit on drums and Irmin Schmidt on keyboards, and on most tracks, vocals from Malcolm Mooney or Damo Suzuki.

THE TOP 20 REISSUES / COLLECTIONS: COLLECTION OF THE YEAR

A FITTING TRIBUTE TO THE LEGACY OF CAN, PROBABLY THE BEST EXPERIMENTAL ROCK BAND IN THE WORLD Darryl Says: Far from being a typical record company collection of scrapings from the bottom of the “outtakes” barrel, this is a truly amazing find of prime Can at the top of their game. Split across nine years of recordings, we basically have 3CDs

It was about four years ago that Spoon Records first mentioned the idea of looking in the Can archive to Mute. It was something that we were of course incredibly excited about, but for any new material to be released by Can, it had to be spectacular. None of the band – Irmin, Jaki, Holger – would have considered this unless it was going to be great, but no-one could promise it would be. So, understandably, there was hesitancy, hence the four years to realisation – that and the 50 hours of material to go through, not an easy task and one that Jono Podmore surely won’t be in a hurry to repeat. But what Irmin and Jono found was spectacular. Three hours of outstanding music, covering every angle of Can. Three hours out of 50, leaving 47 hours to be released over the next few years. A cash cow pension maybe? No, this is the last time that any previously unheard Can material will be made available. Those 47 hours will never be heard or made available, this is the full stop at the end of the legacy – that’s why it’s so good and why we at Mute are so proud to have been part of it.

(or 5LPs) that slip seamlessly into the wonderful cannon of influential albums that they released in the late ‘60s to mid ‘70s. A fitting tribute to the legacy of Can, probably the best experimental rock band in the world.

There will be live releases, that magic vinyl catalogue box set and even a remastered ‘Out Of Reach’ in the coming years, but only when they are ready and only when they are also spectacular. The Lost Tapes is the full stop at the end of the legacy, the legacy that will live on, untarnished, because of the pig headed stubborn attitude of Irmin Schmidt, Jaki Liebezeit and Holger Czukay. Long may they remain pig headed and stubborn in the pursuit of quality for themselves and the memory of Miki Karoli. Paul A. Taylor, Mute

CD TRACKLISTING (vinyl box set contains all tracks listed below in a different running order) CD2 CD 1 Your Friendly Neighbourhood Whore Millionenspiel True Story Waiting For The Streetcar The Agreement Evening All Day Midnight Sky Deadly Doris Desert Graublau Spoon – Live When Darkness Comes Dead Pigeon Suite Blind Mirror Surf Abra Cada Braxas Oscura Primavera A Swan Is Born Bubble Rap The Loop

CD3 Godzilla Fragment On The Way To Mother Sky Midnight Men Networks Of Foam Messer, Scissors, Fork and Light Barnacles E.F.S. 108 Private Nocturnal Alice Mushroom – Live One More Saturday Night – Live

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MY BLOODY VALENTINE EPS 1988 – 1991 / LOVELESS / ISN’T ANYTHING

My Bloody Valentine remain one of the most unique and thrilling bands of the last 25 years. Sonic pioneers, they stood alone in the late ‘80s / early ‘90s, their two albums sounded like nothing that had gone before. This year the band’s two studio albums were painstakingly remastered by

THE BEATLES THE BEATLES IN STEREO — VINYL BOX

Manufactured on 180-gram, audiophile quality vinyl with replicated artwork, these 14 classic albums return to their original glory with details including the poster in “The Beatles” (aka “The White Album”), the “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Heart Club Band”s cut-outs, and special inner bags for

and the Red House Painters to international acclaim. The albums have been subjected to The Numero Group’s notoriously elaborate packaging and faithfully restored from the original masters, they are accompanied by a plethora of singles, demos, live recordings, and Peel sessions.

LEE HAZLEWOOD THE LHI YEARS: SINGLES, NUDES AND BACKSIDES (1968-71)

Light In The Attic kick off the excavation of the Lee Hazlewood archives with this anthology, “Singles, Nudes & Backsides”, collecting the best of Lee’s solo songs and duets from his LHI (Lee Hazlewood Industries) imprint. As a true legend of the great

some of the titles. Accompanied by a stunning, elegantly designed 252-page 12”x12” hardbound book in a lavish boxed edition. Your inner Beatles fan will already be drooling at the thought of this deluxe set.

CODEINE WHEN I SEE THE SUN

From 1990-1994, NYC’s Codeine were making somnambulant waves on a musical landscape reeling from Sub Pop’s better known exports. Their three albums received much critical praise upon release, but Codeine dissolved before any of that hype would carry like-minded outfits Low,

Kevin Shields at Metropolis Studios in London along with “EPs 1988-1991”, a brand new compilation, which draws together MBV’s four EP releases, “Feed Me With Your Kiss”, “You Made Me Realise”, “Glider” and “Tremolo” alongside seven additional rare and previously unreleased tracks.

American songbook and a rebellious pioneer who left behind a lengthy trail of echo-laden pop masterpieces, Lee’s influence continues to reverberate today.

DONNIE & JOE EMERSON DREAMIN’ WILD

“Dreamin’ Wild” is the sonic vision of the talented Emerson boys, recorded in a family built home studio in rural Washington State. Situated in the unlikely blink-and-you-missed-it town of Fruitland

and far removed from the late 1970s punk movement and the larger disco boom, Donnie and Joe tilled their own musical soil, channelling bedroom pop jams, raw funk, and yacht rock.

THE TOP 20 REISSUES / COLLECTIONS

BLUR BLUR 21

Blur have come of age and to celebrate this milestone they bring us the “Blur 21” campaign. The first five albums have been remastered, and all seven of their studio albums have been expanded onto double CDs, together with a 21 disc (CDs/DVDs/7”/hard-bound book) super deluxe

AURA MEETS LEE PERRY AT BLACK ARK FULL EXPERIENCE

One of the most intriguing Black Ark experiments was “Aura Meets Lee Perry - Full Experience”, a project dating from 1977. Aura began singing backing vocals at the Black Ark studio, and she worked with American vocalist Pamela Reed and

that album’s release. This 40th anniversary edition has been remastered by original Trident Studios engineer Ray Staff (at London’s Air Studios). A ‘70s pop-rock game-changer.

JOHN CARPENTER AND ALAN HOWARTH ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK OST

Reissued on vinyl by the excellent Death Waltz Recordings this score sounds as fresh today as it did when it was first released. Laden with brooding electronic pulses, flashes of Krautrock

together with Guyana’s Candy McKenzie, they started work on the Full Experience project. The trio recorded 11 songs with Perry, all given that Black Ark sound.

DAVID BOWIE THE RISE AND FALL OF ZIGGY STARDUST AND THE SPIDERS FROM MARS...

Originally released on 6th June 1972, “Ziggy Stardust” was David Bowie’s fifth album. Incredibly, the album was written whilst Bowie was recording 1971’s “Hunky Dory” album, with recording beginning a couple of months before

box set, “Blur 21: The Box”. The LP editions, although not expanded, are cut on 180 gram audiophile vinyl and most are now doubles (except for “Leisure” with remains a single LP), these are also collected together for the deluxe “Blur 21: The Vinyl Box”, a definitive collection of Blur vinyl.

and healthy dose of nu-disco ensures that this soundtrack sounds as happy on the dance floor as it is in your headphones.

DAVID LYNCH AND ALAN R. SPLET ERASERHEAD — ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK

Sacred Bones Records bring us an official vinyl only, expanded, re-release of the soundtrack to David Lynch’s landmark 1977 film, Eraserhead. An amazing deluxe package including a 16 page

booklet, three art prints a digital download and bonus 7”. A dark and brooding experimental masterpiece, and a perfect accompaniment to the film. A cult classic.

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THE TOP 20 REISSUES / COLLECTIONS

12. BOB CHANCE IT’S BROKEN! There’s no one quite like Bob Chance. He’s a Californian man who makes his own music. “It’s Broken!” is his privately pressed album that has become a cult item in recent years. DJ Shadow calls it “hairy forearm disco”, it walks a fine line between the dancefloor and the asylum. 13. SEX PISTOLS NEVER MIND THE BOLLOCKS, HERE’S THE SEX PISTOLS - 2012 REMASTERED EDITION As one of the most iconic and influential albums in music history “Never Mind The Bollocks, Here’s The Sex Pistols” still sounds as powerful and unique as ever, 35 years since the original release. Remastered from the (thought to be lost) original 1977 master tapes. 14. ATOMIC FOREST OBSESSION Atomic Forest stand as the only Indian psychedelic / hard rock band that managed to record an album: “Obsession”. The album’s mix of blistering, fuzzy rock and synth-lead funk inspired collectors the world over to fork over thousands for original copies. 15. PORTER RICKS BIOKINETICS Techno isn’t a genre that has birthed many classic albums, and the dub-techno sub-genre even less so, but one indisputable classic is Porter Ricks’ debut “Biokinetics”. Originally issued on the legendary Basic Channel sub-label Chain Reaction in 1996, it still stands as the label’s crowning achievement. 16. RAY STINNETT A FIRE SOMEWHERE A hippie-fied, soul-rock, folk-rock, psych-rock gem lost in the vaults for four decades, “A Fire Somewhere” sounds as fresh as the day it was cut, and comes with extensive liner-notes detailing the fascinating life of a little-documented 1960s rock voyager. 17. SUGAR COPPER BLUE - EXPANDED EDITION “Copper Blue” is the classic 1992 debut album by Sugar featuring former Hüsker Dü frontman Bob Mould. Twenty years on, the album has been lovingly remastered from the original tapes, and is presented here in improved fidelity, with bonus tracks and a bonus DVD. 18. SLEEP DOPESMOKER Widely considered to be the ultimate and most important album to come out of the stoner rock / doom movement! Remastered (it sounds incredible) with all new embossed artwork and unreleased bonus live track. 19. RIDE GOING BLANK AGAIN - 20TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION The follow-up to “Nowhere”, “Going Blank Again” saw the Oxford quartet embrace their prog side and come up with a career best. This seminal album gets a limited run 20th anniversary deluxe CD/DVD edition.

20. PETER ZUMMO ZUMMO WITH AN X Super-rare mid 80s album from Arthur Russell’s trombonist of choice Peter Zummo. He plays the trombone, valve trombone, euphonium, synthesizer, other electronic instruments, and also sings. He is associated with the post-minimalist and Downtown aesthetics. Rediscovered and reissued by Optimo.

<< m u t e 2 0 1 2 >> CAN THE LOST TAPES Piccadilly Records Reissue / Collection Of The Year 2012

Available as deluxe box sets on: CD & Vinyl(180gm) “This huge set of unheard cuts... restates the pioneers’ importance ” UNCUT 9/10

BETH JEANS HOUGHTON & THE HOOVES OF DESTINY YOURS TRULY, CELLOPHANE NOSE "Albums of 2012" NME

COLD SPECKS I PREDICT A GRACEFUL EXPULSION “A voice that makes your knees quiver” The Fly

LIARS WIXIW “One of the greatest avant-pop groups of our age” The Quietus

APPARAT THE DEVIL’S WALK "Epic electronic soundscapes" Time Out Q

LAND OBSERVATIONS ROMAN ROADS IV-XI "A thing of unstated, fragile beauty" Q

VCMG SSSS "Glorious…a no-holds-barred rave up… a banging party soundtrack" The Guardian

****

Thanks to Piccadilly Records & their customers for their support in 2012. www.mute.com

DAPHNI ‘Jiaolong’ (Jiaolong) 2LP/CD Electronica album of the month in Mojo: “Caribou’s alter ego heads oﬀ to a twisted danceoor. Snaith’s upward trajectory shows little sign of slowing.”

EAT LIGHTS; BECOME LIGHTS ‘Heavy Electrics’ (Rocket Girl) CD “Eat Lights; Become Lights mix Krautrock rhythms and celestial drones to heavenly eﬀect” – NME “Their one-note riﬀs should be boringly unoriginal, but somehow they work.” – 4/5 Q

VARIOUS ARTISTS ‘Country Funk 1969–1975’

LOOPS OF YOUR HEART ‘And Never Ending Nights’

(Light in the Attic) 2LP/CD

(Magazine) LP/CD

Piccadilly Records’ compilation of the year! All tracks newly re-mastered. Features rare cuts by Bob Darin, Gray Fox, Dennis the Fox, Cherokee, Gritz and more.

Please allow us the pleasure of introducing Axel Willner’s (aka The Field) Loops Of Your Heart. “One of the most emotionally powerful synth albums in a time where they seem absolutely dime a dozen.” – Resident Advisor

SLEEP ‘Dopesmoker’

BOB CHANCE ‘It’s Broken’

(Southern Lord) 2LP/CD

(Trunk) LP/CD

“Stoner metal’s foundation stone remastered and repackaged… Dopesmoker is a sort of hymn to holy intoxication” – 9/10 Uncut

DISAPPEARS ‘Pre Language’

There’s no one quite like Bob Chance. He’s a Californian man who makes his own music. And here he is, on re. It’s a privately pressed album that has become a cult item in recent years. DJ Shadow calls it “hairy forearm disco”.

PETER ZUMMO ‘Zummo With an X’

(Kranky) LP/CD

(Optimo Music) LP

Right on cue, the third annual report from Chicago’s Disappears is submitted for your consideration. Follows up on the acclaimed ‘Guider’ album, and with new drummer, Sonic Youth’s Steve Shelley, now fully integrated into the group.

“Unavailable on vinyl since 1985, it’s a great honour to be making this record available again and I can’t imagine anyone with even a passing interest in Peter Zummo or Arthur Russell’s music failing to be beguiled by this.” – Twitch

LEE HAZLEWOOD ‘The LHI Years: Singles, Nudes and Backsides (1968–71)’

PORTER RICKS ‘Biokinetics’

(Light in the Attic) 2LP/CD

Deluxe 2LP/CD edition of this classic album from Porter Ricks, aka Thomas Köner and sound engineer Andy Mellwig. The 12"s that make up this album were originally released by Basic Channel oﬀshoot label Chain Reaction in 1996. This is the rst time this material has been available as a single vinyl package.

Debut release in Light in the Attic’s Lee Hazlewood reissue series. Cuts from essential albums like ‘Cowboy in Sweden’. Features duets with Suzi Jane Hokom, Ann-Margret and Nina Lizell.

(Type Records) 2LP/CD

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STAFF CHARTS

LAURA How long have we been compiling these charts for now? 10 years? And I’ve still not found a way to shoehorn 38 albums into a top 20. Goat won hands down this year though, having managed to combine so many of my favourite styles of music into an amazing euphoric groove. Outside of work, my very un-rock’n’roll past times of cycling and gardening had varying degrees of success this year. Cycling was great, although mostly done in the rain until we headed over to Bavaria: sunshine, beautiful scenery and great beer – perfect! Everyone cycles there, young and old, so drivers actually give you priority. Hard to adjust to when you’re used to commuting in Manchester. My garden was literally a wash-out, even my trusty courgette crop was a disaster, so no chutney making this year (cue sighs of relief from friends and family). The rubbish Summer weather did mean I could spend my free time glued to the TV watching sport, guilt free though. The highlight? Bradley Wiggins winning the Tour De France – nice one Wiggo! And finally, despite my cynicism (and the toilets!), and thanks to my ace friends, The Roses at Heaton Park was my gig of the year.

PHILIPPA I’m always totally amazed by the continuous stream of brilliant new music that comes into our shop, and the albums I’ve picked as my favourites for 2012 certainly lifted my spirits this year. Also spirit-lifting in 2012 was sport. I think you’ll find the Great British Summer of Sport actually started with Manchester City winning the Premier League (having lived round the corner from Maine Road in the 80s / 90s and been to watch them quite a lot when they were rubbish, City are my second team). And then there were the Olympics; when London won the bid in 2005 I was jumping around my living room, and had been getting more excited ever since. Managing to get a ticket at the very last minute for what turned out to be ‘Super Saturday’ tipped me over the edge into self-combustion and I spent the rest of the week blubbing all over London (yes, that was me). As ever, a special mention goes to my friends’ kids; Lala (nearly 8, and now teaching me how to spell) and Euan (5 and a half and showing me his cool dance moves), you are the ultimate mood-enhancers!

1. Goat World Music 2. Sharon Van Etten Tramp 3. Richard Hawley Standing At The Sky’s Edge 4. Grizzly Bear Shields 5. Toy Toy 6. Moon Duo Circles 7. TheeSatisfaction Awe Naturale 8. Crocodiles Endless Flowers 9. Disappears Pre Language 10. Tim Burgess Oh No, I Love You 11. Holograms Holograms 12. Peaking Lights Lucifer 13. Smoke Fairies Blood Speaks 14. By The Sea By The Sea 15. Metz Metz 16. Calexico Algiers 17. Field Music Plumb 18. Friends Manifest! 19. Jake Bugg Jake Bugg 20. Yeti Lane The Echo Show

1. Smoke Fairies Blood Speaks 2. First Aid Kit The Lion’s Roar 3. Goat World Music 4. Friends Manifest! 5. Pollyn Living In Patterns 6. Sharon Van Etten Tramp 7. TheeSatisfaction Awe Naturale 8. Ultraísta Ultraísta 9. Django Django Django Django 10. Boof Shh, Dandelions At Play 11. Prins Thomas Prins Thomas II 12. Mungolian Jetset Mungodelics 13. Loops Of Your Heart And Never Ending Nights 14. Grimes Visions 15. Toy Toy 16. Shackleton Music For The Quiet Hour/ The Drawbar Organ 17. The Cinematic Orchestra Presents In Motion # 1 18. Mock & Toof Temporary Happiness 19. Fort Romeau Kingdoms 20. Actress RIP

STAFF CHARTS

DARRYL I probably say it every December, but what a fantastic year it’s been for new albums. It’s rare that I have to whittle down my top 20 from a selection of 50 plus totally brilliant albums. The mysterious Goat totally stood out though, a superb album that somehow seems to get more thrilling with every listen. The summer of sport seemed to grip everyone, even me! (yes, I don’t just go and drink beer at FC United games, well.. er), I managed to cycle between most of the beer houses of northern Bavaria even taking in one of my favourite beer destinations of Bamberg (if you’ve never been, it’s an amazing place), all this semi-healthiness culminated at the end of Summer with the gruelling (for me at least) Manchester 100km bike ride – I’ve even got a certificate to prove it! At work we’ve been busier than ever, Record Store Day was an incredible event, it was nice to see so many old faces again and obviously plenty of new ones. I have to say we were all shocked by the incredible turnout, thank you one and all! Following on from RSD punters have continued to flow through the door, it’s really gratifying to know that you share our passion for new music.

DAVE So, 2012. It began with a bang, when, much to my girlfriend’s astonishment, I proposed on new year’s day. My friends were equally astonished when they heard she’d said yes. My charms are well hidden, evidently. In other wedding news, my friend Rob got married this summer, so both Lisbon and Rome respectively, were briefly full of Piccadilly staffers past and present, belittling everything from each other’s choice of breakfast to the size of their record collection. El Diablo’s highlights included Greg Wilson and Crazy P and I had the (now annual) pleasure of playing the closing set on the beach bar at Electric Elephant with Eletriks legend Moggsy. Much like 2011, I drank like I didn’t have to get up at 5am to fly home. Nothing like arriving home needing a holiday to recover from your holiday, eh? I knew after a couple of listens that Goat would be our album of the year. I was so confident, in fact, that I offered to run, naked, down Oldham Street with nothing but a Goats head for a hat if I was wrong. Obviously everyone in the shop was gutted when they saw the chart and realised what they’d been denied.

1. Goat World Music 2. White Manna White Manna 3. Godspeed You! Black Emperor ‘Allelujah! Don’t Bend! Ascend! 4. Swans The Seer 5. Pretty Lightning There Are Witches In The Woods 6. Grimes Visions 7. Crocodiles Endless Flowers 8. Moon Duo Circles 9. Sharon Van Etten Tramp 10. Eternal Tapestry A World Out Of Time 11. Smoke Fairies Blood Speaks 12. Grizzly Bear Shields 13. Friends Manifest! 14. Eat Lights Become Lights Heavy Electrics 15. Peaking Lights Lucifer 16. Oh Sees Putrifiers II EP 17. Disappears Pre Language 18. My Best Fiend In Ghostlike Fading 19. Sweet Lights Sweet Lights 20. L ee Ranaldo Between The Times And The Tides

1. First Aid Kit The Lion’s Roar 2. Goat World Music 3. Smoke Fairies Blood Speaks 4. Lee Ranaldo Between The Times And Tides 5. Chromatics Kill For Love 6. Loops Of Your Heart And Never Ending Nights 7. Spiritualized Sweet Heart Sweet Light 8. Sharon Van Etten Tramp 9. Woolfy vs Projections The Return Of Love 10. Fort Romeau Kingdoms 11. Friends Manifest! 12. Pollyn Living In Patterns 13. Grizzly Bear Shields 14. Grimes Visions 15. Deniz Kurtel & The Marcy All-Stars The Way We Live 16. Lana Del Rey Born To Die 17. Toy Toy 18. Django Django Django Django 19. Richard Hawley Standing At The Sky’s Edge 20. Moon Duo Circles

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STAFF CHARTS

MARTIN 2012 has been the first year in the last decade I’ve not left Manchester, other than for the odd day trip. It’s maybe a testament to the old city that despite that, and having lived here for 33 years, I still have as much love and fascination for the place as ever. It may not be conventionally pretty, but it’s history, dating back to Julius Agricola’s camp back in AD79 overlooking the ‘breast like hills’ after which the city is named (and now looming over which, at our end of the calendar, is the Beetham Tower) moving through sleepy centuries to the mixed blessings of the Industrial Revolution, economic decay and revival, the input of the Luftwaffe, Karl Marx, the IRA, football of course, a huge university and various waves of immigration, has been characterised by often dramatic change, and is etched clearly into its steel and stone. It’s made it what it is; rough, vibrant, cosmopolitan, creative, open minded. No wonder then that its music scene, of which Piccadilly has played a part since 1978, has reflected that vitality and variety and is now such an integral part of its appeal. It’s a hard city to get sick of.

ANDY I used to work at HMV, in those pre-Smiths days when “Live At Red Rocks” was my light and inspiration! My boss at the time was Graham Jones, who 30 years later would write the “Last Shop Standing” book, which this year was released as a film and DVD. I take no pleasure in HMV becoming a clothes shop – there’s a huge spectrum of music lovers and we’re all on there somewhere – but something remarkable has happened in the two or three years between book (almost a requiem) and film (revival!) that has seen the independent sector fight back (the inspirational Record Store Day) and independent record shops cherished as sort of lighthouses in a sea of doom’n’gloom. As the mainstream music retail Biz has shrunk, shops like ours have almost got stronger. It’s here you’ll find the real music-lovers, the mad, the passionate, the random, the needy. And I’m not just talking about us that work here, I mean you lot out there as well! It’s like time has gone back to the 60’s, pre 80’s greed and supermarket loss-leads, when record shops were a haven, a mini-community even, not for the mildly interested, but for the fully committed, the devoted. There’s plenty of us left and still going strong. Thanks for your support.

1. Crocodiles Endless Flowers 2. First Aid Kit The Lion’s Roar 3. Fort Romeau Kingdoms 4. Mock & Toof Temporary Happiness 5. Grizzly Bear Shields 6. Smoke Fairies Blood Speaks 7. Goat World Music 8. Actress RIP 9. Shackleton Music For The Quiet Hour / The Drawbar Organ 10. Sigur Rós Valtari 11. Maria Minerva Will Happiness Find Me? 12. Sun Araw, M. Geddes Gengras, And The Congos Frkwys Vol. 9: Icon Give Thank 13. Eat Lights Become Lights Heavy Electrics 14. Bat For Lashes The Haunted Man 15. Woolfy Vs Projections The Return Of Love 16. Toy Toy 17. Flying Lotus Until the Quiet Comes 18. Ultraísta Ultraísta 19. Cinematic Orchestra Presents In Motion # 1 20. Fuxa Electric Sound Of Summer

1. Beachwood Sparks The Tarnished Gold 2. First Aid Kit The Lion’s Roar 3. Tame Impala Lonerism 4. Ariel Pink‘s Haunted Graffiti Mature Themes 5. Bill Fay Life Is People 6. Toy Toy 7. M. Ward A Wasteland Companion 8. Lightships Electric Cables 9. Porcelain Raft Strange Weekend 10. The Shins Port of Morrow 11. Lee Ranaldo Between the Times and the Tides 12. Yeti Lane The Echo Show 13. Friends Manifest! 14. Goat World Music 15. Fuxa Electric Sound of Summer 16. Peaking Lights Lucifer 17. Chromatics Kill For Love 18. Sharon Van Etten Tramp 19. Django Django Django Django 20. Beach House Bloom

SWANS - ‘The Seer’ Young God 2CD/2CD+DVD/3LP

CARLTON MELTON ‘Photos of Photos’ Agitated CD/LP

GROUP RHODA V/A - ‘PERSONAL SPACE: ‘Out of Time - Out of Touch’ Electronic Soul’ Night School CD/LP Chocolate Ind. CD/2LP

PETER BRODERICK ‘ These Walls Of Mine’ Erased Tapes CD/LP

WOODS - ‘Bend Beyond’ Woodsist CD/LP

WHITE MANNA ‘White Manna’ Holy Mountain CD/LP

THEE OH SEES ‘Putrifiers II’ In The Red CD/LP

HOWLIN RAIN - ‘The Russian Wilds’ Agitated CD/2LP

HALLS - ‘Ark’ No Pain In Pop CD/LP

LOOP ‘Heaven’s End’ Reactor CD/LP

BAD WEATHER CALIFORNIA ‘Sunkissed’ Family Tree CD/LP

LIMINANAS - ‘Crystal Anis’ Hozac CD/LP

STAFF CHARTS

MATT With about 1% of the world population believing that a great big spaceship is gonna come down and take the chosen few of us away from the apocalypse this December, I thought about a cosmic ‘Desert Island Discs’. The one record from my chart that I would take to the new planet would be Demdike Stare’s “Elemental” (or maybe Eat Lights..?!) as I believe this is the closest to alien chatter we can muster on this humble Earth. My luxury item would probably be my infamous “onepiece” (space) suit, to fit in with the trends and fashions of our new habitat. One book? (apart from the Bible and the works of Shakespeare of course) – probably “Deep Country” by Neil Ansell, a lovely book I’ve read this year that, in many ways, gives good advice about how to survive the impending apocalypse but is really just about a guy who gets rid of everything, goes to live sustainably in the woods and gets down with nature. Of course, it’s unlikely that doomsday is round the corner, so I’d advise keeping warm, choosing your poison (single malt for me) and getting stuck in to a hefty selection of records from our chart. If the world IS gonna end, then you may as well be enjoying the best music!

SARA Blimey, it’s here again, the end of the year when we have to fathom out our top twenty favourite albums and ponder on the years occurrences. I knew that Goat’s “World Music” was going to be my number 1 album from the first listen and I’m not in the least bit surprised it’s been named album of the year by the shop as a whole. It’s an absolute belter! As I write this I’ve just said goodbye to an incredible friend who I hadn’t seen for nearly 9 years. I was so giddy and excited about it, I was getting on everyones wick. Magosia and I met when I lived in London, many moons ago, and we became cracking friends. She moved back to Australia quite some time ago so we don’t see each other very often but when we do it’s like it was only yesterday. She’s a bloody diamond, a marvellous lass. Next month sees me getting punched in the face by a real milestone birthday – I shall be turning the grand old age of 40. There, I’ve said it. I’m not altogether comfortable with it, I don’t want it, but there’s bugger all I can do about it. Time marches on, it’s only a number, blah blah. I shall be out celebrating/commiserating this fact rather a lot over the festive period, so if I bump into you in the midst of one of these rave-ups, I apologise in advance for my behaviour.

1. White Manna White Manna 2. Carlton Melton Photos Of Photos 3. Moon Duo Circles 4. Goat World Music 5. Flavor Crystals Three 6. Seahawks Aqua Disco 7. Gnod Chaudelande Vol 1/2 8. Deepchord Sommer 9. Eternal Tapestry A World Out Of Time 10. Eat Lights Become Lights Heavy Electrics 11. Sun Araw The Inner Treaty 12. Deepchord Silent World OST 13. Mock & Toof Temporary Happiness 14. Moon Pool & Deadband Human Fly 15. Kandodo Kandodo 16. Demdike Stare Elemental 17. The Orb Featuring Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry The Orbserver In The Star House 18. Adrian Sherwood Survival & Resistance 19. Maria Minerva Will Happiness Find Me? 20. Cat Power Sun

1. Goat World Music 2. Eat Lights Become Lights Heavy Electrics 3. Moon Duo Circles 4. Django Django Django Django 5. Loops Of Your Heart And Never Ending Nights 6. Thee Oh Sees Putrifiers 2 7. White Manna White Manna 8. Mark Lanegan Band Blues Funeral 9. Disappears Pre Language 10. Jim Jones Revue The Savage Heart 11. Smoke Fairies Blood Speaks 12. Hooded Fang Tosta Mista 13. The Soft Moon Zeros 14. Jon Spencer Blues Explosion Meat & Bone 15. Richard Hawley Standing At The Sky’s Edge 16. Gaslamp Killer Breakthrough 17. Shackleton Music For The Quiet Hour / The Drawbar Organ 18. Pretty Lightning There Are Witches In The Woods 19. Islet Illuminated People 20. White Hills Frying On This Rock

STAFF CHARTS

PAUL Possibly the best year of my life. I managed to squeeze in more music, gigs, events, DJing than ever and met some amazing people along the way. Starting with the Worldwide Awards at KOKO London featuring a mesmerising performance from Bad Bad Not Good. Other stand out gigs this year: Savages at the Bunker, Alt-J at RNCM (matinée performance), Dan Deacon at Islington Mill, Kanye West and Jay-Z at Manchester Arena, Femi Kuti at Band On The Wall, and strangely a gig on a barge in Uppermill, Saddleworth, courtesy of The Gramotones. Randomly amazing Due to Manchester making the headlines with a certain music news story I ended up being on BBC Radio 1’s Newsbeat and was filmed for Granada Reports. Started my ‘music from the movies’ club night Night Fever at The Roadhouse. I also continued to DJ all over town; TrofNQ, Cord, Gorilla, Soup Kitchen, Mint Lounge and the NQ’s hottest new creative space 2022. Thanks for having me. I made it to one festival this year, Festival No.6, in the beautiful Portmeirion. Looking forward to 2013 already. RIP Adam Yauch, Jose Roberto Bertrami, Terry Callier, Andy Williams and especially Hal David. Thank you for the music. Twitter @PastaPaul

1. Chromatics Kill For Love 2. Goat World Music 3. Cat Power Sun 4. Beach House Bloom 5. Spiritualized Sweet Heart Sweet Light 6. Alt-J An Awesome Wave 7. Pretty Lightning There Are Witches In The Woods 8. Fuxa Electric Sound Of Summer 9. Various Artists / Cliff Martinez Drive - OST 10. Lightships Electric Cable 11. Django Django Django Django 12. Alfonso Lovo La Gigantona 13. TheeSatisfaction Awe Naturale 14. Cody ChesnuTT Landing On A Hundred 15. Bobby Womack The Bravest Man In The Universe 16. CFCF Exercises 17. White Manna White Manna 18. Frank Ocean Channel ORANGE 19. Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs Trouble 20. Jesse Boykins III & MeLo-X Zulu Guru

RYAN It’s that time again, the time to reflect on all the fantastic releases this year. I must admit I struggled to get it down to a top 20, there are at least another 20 I could have put on there. Although nothing has knocked us off our feet quite like the Goat debut “World Music”, that thing is unstoppable! It seems what the Mayans thought was the end of the world was actually just the insane guitar shredding on the Goat album. Easy mistake. It’s been great getting to know all our brilliant customers and regulars over the year, so thanks to all of you for coming in and cheering me and the shop up with all your enthusiastic musical opinions. Once again I’ve had the chance to go to some great gigs this year including Dirty Projectors, TOY, Dan Deacon (insane gig) and loads more. So even though another year comes to an end and everything is beginning to freeze over, the creative juices are still running strong and I look forward to more awesome releases and seeing all your lovely faces in the future.

1. Wild Nothing Nocturne 2. Goat World Music 3. DIIV Oshin 4. Mac Demarco 2 5. Toy Toy 6. Tame Impala Lonerism 7. Moon Duo Circles 8. Dark Horses Black Music 9. Peaking Lights Lucifer 10. Thee Oh Sees Putrifiers II EP 11. Tamaryn Tender New Signs 12. Porcelain Raft Strange Weekend 13. Frankie Rose Interstellar 14. Maria Minerva Will Happiness Find Me? 15. Dirty Projectors Swing Lo Magellan 16. Dusted Total Dust 17. Nite Jewel One Second Of Love 18. Y Niwl Y Niwl 19. Holograms Holograms 20. Django Django Django Django

Stealing Sheep Into The Diamond Sun ‘An utterly unique debut’ Q MAgAzIne HHHH The Fly HHHH The Stool Pigeon 8/10 - nMe HHHH The guardian HHHH The Independent

‘British Alt Rocks finest debut’ Mojo

HHHH Time out HHHH Mojo HHHH Clash HHHH The Fly HHHH Guardian 8/10 - NME

The debut albums out now on

MARK (PICCADILLY BOOKLET DESIGNER) I’ve been buying records from Piccadilly Records for about 22 years (my first purchase being Swervedriver’s ‘Raise’ LP as a floppy-fringed 14 year old indie-kid back in about 1990) so being asked to provide a chart for this booklet is quite an honour. 2012 was a pretty good year for me, a trip to Uganda in May to run an album cover design workshop for Un-Convention was a particular highlight, as was DJing at The Football Museum in November – getting a pat on the back from Pat Nevin for playing Magazine’s ‘The Light Pours Out of Me’ was as much validation as any football/music nerd could hope for. In terms of new music, like most people I was blown away by the Goat album; it’s eye-shredding die-cut op-art sleeve is almost as brilliantly berserk as the music itself. It was great to hear new stuff from Godspeed after their decade-long hiatus, and the collaboration between Sun Araw and The Congos provided some psychedelic Jamaican sunshine in an otherwise drab summer. On the reissue front, lavish box sets from The Wake and Codeine were a pleasure to behold, not to mention listen to. Well that’s another Piccadilly end of year booklet done and dusted and off to the printers, it’ll be time to start work on 2013’s version before I know it.

1. Goat World Music 2. Om Advaitic Songs 3. Godspeed You! Black Emperor ‘Allelujah! Don’t Bend! Ascend! 4. Sun Araw, M. Geddes Gengras, And The Congos Frkwys Vol. 9: Icon Give Thank 5. Richard Hawley Standing At The Sky’s Edge 6. White Manna White Manna 7. Bill Fay Life is People 8. Mark Lanegan Band Blues Funeral 9. Moon Duo Circles 10. Disappears Pre-Language 11. Earth Angels of Darkness II 12. Loops of Your Heart And Never Ending Nights 13. Jim Jones Revue Savage Heart 14. El-P Cancer 4 Cure 15. Sylvester Anfang II Untitled 16. Spiritualized Sweet Heart Sweet Light 17. Smoke Fairies Blood Speaks 18. Islet Illuminated People 19. Toy Toy 20. Anywhere Anywhere

Booklet design: markbrownstudio.co.uk