End Of Year Review
NILS FRAHM - All Melody
OH SEES - Smote Reverser
ANNA ST. LOUIS – If Only There Was A River
RIVAL CONSOLES – Persona
BONNY DOON – Longwave
LAST OF THE EASY RIDERS – Unto The Earth
MOLLY NILSSON – Twenty Twenty
KELLEY STOLTZ – Natural Causes
HOWLIN RAIN – Alligator Bride
Erased Tapes 2LP/CD
Woodsist/Mare LP/CD
Woodsist LP/CD
THE AINT’S – Church of Simultaneous Existence Night School LP/CD
Castle Face 2LP/CD
Erased Tapes LP/CD
Agitated LP/CD
Banana & Louie LP/CD
LA LUZ - Floating Features Hardly Art LP/CD
HERE LIES MAN – You Will Know Nothing Riding Easy LP/CD
Night School LP/CD
Silver Current LP/CD
Hello, hola, hallo and hullo from the whole Piccadilly crew — this is the sound of 2018. No, not the nasal mutterings of the POTUS, paper rustle of Brussels or squeaking tin joints of the Maybot, but the wealth of auditory riches detailed in our new End Of Year Review. Each of the releases found within the pages which follow has been examined, enjoyed and certified fit for your sonic consumption by our team of experts (and Barry) and we can’t wait to hear what you think! It’s been another eventful year either side of the counter, with a string of stellar in-store performances, out-store pop-ups and celebrity shoppers keeping us busy all year long. Whyte Horses made a memorable and mesmeric impression in March, bathing the shop in psych pop perfection in celebration of their new album. April brought the annual insanity of RSD and with it a delightful acoustic performance from Lucy Dacus to calm us down after the busiest shift of all time. Though we couldn’t quite coax a live performance from him (there’s only so much rock-god our walls can contain), Johnny Marr came down in June to sign copies of his triumphant ‘Call The Comet’ LP — as you’d expect from such a thoroughly nice gent, a good time was had by all. The Autumn brought around a 10 year celebration of Manchester’s finest jazz imprint Gondwana, and we were lucky enough to enjoy instore sets from ambient hero Phil France and psych-folk siren Caoilfhionn Rose as well as two DJ sets from label head Matthew Halsall.
We took ourselves out on the road in July, ferrying the Piccadilly Pop-Up to Jodrell Bank for three mega days at the spectacular Bluedot Festival. Though the long days, abundance of churros and occasional over-indulgence threatened to capsize the whole venture, signing sessions/missions from Public Service Broadcasting, Slowdive, Snapped Ankles, Adrian Sherwood and Vessels, and regular visits from you lot kept us smiling till the very end. If you’ll forgive a brief diversion into Heat territories, we had loads of slebs in the shop this year, from Max Joseph and Maxine Peake to John Grant, Mary Anne Hobbs and most notably (for me anyway) James Murphy from LCD Soundsystem. Wherever they came from, and whatever they do, each of these people share a total obsession with music, which I find entirely relatable. As our resident indie dreamboat Ryan went off to explore the equine sands of a foreign land (Tokyo in this case), a slot opened up in the Piccadilly roster and we welcomed grooveloving Scot Emily to the weekend staff, bringing with her multi-instrumental talents and a killer owl-emblazoned fleece. A quick thanks to booklet designer Mark Brown — this is his tenth year of working on our end of year review and I’m sure you’ll agree he’s come up with another splendid design. I think that covers most bases, though I should point out WE’VE RELEASED A RECORD! That’s right, the first ever Piccadilly Records vinyl compilation is on its way, and you can find out all you need to know below. Patrick
Piccadilly Records Compilation 2018 Released around the beginning of December, we’re delighted to announce our very first vinyl compilation. ‘Piccadilly Records Compilation 2018’ is a hand-picked selection of tracks from our various EOY charts, featuring Khruangbin, LUMP, Tim Burgess, TVAM, Phil France, Kadhja Bonet, Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever, Gulp, Advisory Circle, Christiane F, Prins Emanuel and Theon Cross. All for the bargain price of £9.99!
The Top 100 Albums: Album of the Year
1 ed end omm Rec ou like: on if y ippert ie R n i M n olange h S sc a Mi Laur
ALBUM OF THE YEAR 2018
Kadhja Bonet Childqueen In an era of mass-information, instant gratification and branded identity, Kadhja Bonet is a glorious enigma. An artist who’d rather let the music do the talking, the LA-based multi instrumentalist lives outside the spotlight, at her happiest when her hands are busy and her mind is active, striving to create something honest and beautiful. In this case, that just happens to be the majestic and transcendent ‘Childqueen’, a unanimous choice for our number one spot. On her 2015 debut, Bonet mused on a visit from her inner self, exploring the space between who she is and who she wants to be. Here she reconnects with the ‘Childqueen’, a youthful expression of empowerment and identity free from the struggles of 21st century life. So far, so far out, and there’s certainly a nod to the spiritual exploration of the Age Of Aquarius here. Harking back to the psychedelic soul of Minnie Ripperton and Terry Callier’s Woodstock jazz, Kadhja crafts deep and dreamy vignettes, evocative episodes which perfectly fuse the pastoral and the personal. Delicate chimes, swooning strings and airy flute drift atop woozy grooves, joining Bonet’s multi-tracked vocals to form a hazy sonic web. Warm timbres and analogue textures lend the LP a vintage feel, echoed in the faded rainbow of the sleeve.
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Khadja Bonet Q&A: First off, congratulations! Has the success of the record surprised you, or did you know it was special when it was coming together? Perhaps we have different definitions of success. I don’t read reviews, I don’t judge my work on popular opinion. My exposure is about the same. My work is successful if it heals something in me. By that token it was a half success. I’m eager to try again.
Yet despite these seductive period features, ‘Childqueen’ is undoubtedly forward facing, incorporating otherworldly electronics and futuristic bass sounds throughout. Alongside the ethereal excursions, Bonet brings the funk on driving cuts ‘Mother Maybe’ and ‘Another Time Lover’, the latter of which sounds like English Riviera-era Metronomy transplanted to the West Coast for an extended session in the Brainfeeder lab. ‘Delphine’ spins the standard torch song concept into something fresh and inventive, allowing Bonet’s sublime vocal to take the lead for a standout moment. Even amid the Esalen mantras (“Every morning brings a chance to renew” — Procession) and Laurel Canyon echoes, Kadhja isn’t preaching from a hilltop, she’s down in the mud with the rest of us, finding her own way through the chaos of modernity. Written, performed, produced and recorded by Bonet herself, ‘Childqueen’ is a journey of self discovery, and we’re lucky to sit in the passenger seat. Patrick
PICCADILLY RECORDS EXCLUSIVE For a limited period only, buy either the vinyl or CD of ‘Childqueen’ and get an exclusive three track ‘Outtakes’ CD bonus disc. Tracklisting: Imposter / Wake / The Watch
What’s the writing and recording process like for you? Do you think your control of the creative process allows you more freedom to express yourself? I’m just shy, grumpy, insecure, and obsessive compulsive maybe. If I had a different personality type I would collaborate more, and the music would be totally different. It is what it is. How do you translate your studio set up to the live arena? Still figuring out how to do it live. It’s not easy, and is always changing! One of the first things which struck us was how powerful ‘Childqueen’ is. What are some of the themes which inspired the record? Nostalgia, alienation, independence. I read that you’re classically trained, and the musicianship on the LP is stunning. Does your musical education inform your compositions or do you have to let go a little to create something this expressive? I only had classical violin lessons as a child. Most of what you hear about me is most likely exaggerated, and I assure you that’s not my doing. I’ve already forgotten most of my musical training so there is little letting go required. What I have to let go instead is my idea of perfection, because I am not what I used to be as a musician, I often settle. What do you have planned for next year? I’m looking forward to making a record as soon as possible.
The Top 100 Albums: Top Ten
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LUMP Lump
Recom mend if you li ed ke: Tunng This Is The Kate Bu Kit sh
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Lump are the love child of Piccadilly favourite, folk chanteuse extraordinaire, Laura Marling and Folktronic Moog manipulators Tunng’s, Mike Lindsay. Musically, Lump blend pulsing synth arpeggios, electronic pulses akin to a fluorescent light flickering in a high rise tower block with guitars like a Californian sunrise and, atop it all, Marling’s ethereal voice, which, has to be said, has never sounded better. In her lyrics, Marling muses on the alienation of all our lives in the twenty first century, the disparities between real life and the ‘life’ we pretend we have online. Nowhere is this void between what is real and what is perceived to be real expressed better than on the albums only single (a RSD exclusive if you want to hunt it down) ‘Curse Of The Contemporary’.
It’s the album’s only ‘real’ pop song. Underpinned by a melodic acoustic bass, topped by Lindsay’s scratchy, sixties guitar stylings it’s on this song that Marling, doing her best Kate Bush impression, really bares her teeth. “If you should be bored in California, I’m sure I’m not the first to warn ya, Don’t read in too much to all the signs and turns, Keep your wits about you.” Musicians’ side projects should always be more than just a vanity project, they should explore new avenues and take the listener in new directions. Lump certainly does that, and in a most unmissable way. Dave
What I find really special about this record is that it came out of nowhere. Neither Laura or myself had any plan. The music kind of wrote itself, the textures took on a life of their own, Laura seemed, at least to me, to effortlessly write down poetry to paper which flowed into melody and LUMP was born… It then sat there for quite a while until it found a home at Dead Oceans, and now the kind people of Piccadilly have shown it all the love. We are both super proud of this little beast and it truly means a lot for you guys to rank it so high amongst the goodies. Mike Lindsay
The Top 100 Albums: Top Ten
Beak> >>>
Recom mend if you li ed k Silver A e: pples Cavern Of Anti -M Harmon atter ia
From the opening, oozing sci-fi synths of “The Brazilian” to the cinematic krautrock of album closer “When We Fall”, Beak> perfectly soundtracked September’s descent into coldness with their gorgeously twisted third album. Their most nuanced work to date, ‘>>>’ sees the three-piece flirt with claustrophobia and dissonance more than on any of their previous efforts. It’s as mesmerising as it is uneasy, teetering on a tightrope stretched between soft, winding compositions and edgy, no nonsense heft. They’ve lost none of their confidence, none of their boldness, none of their Beak>ness — just check out the dangerously danceable, sevenand-a-half-minute “Allé Sauvage”, or the bonkers “Abbots Leigh”, which proves that unlistenability has never been quite so listenable. The intensity remains even when the volume drops — some of the most devastating moments of the album are the most
emotional, such as highlight “Birthday Suit”, a collision of fluttering synths, lo-fi vocals, and heartbreak. “When We Fall” similarly starts off tenderly — all strings, shakers, harmonies and noodling — before slowly building up to a cyclone of tragic motorik beauty that sees the album off. Members Geoff Barrow (yes, of P********d fame), Will Young and Billy Fuller have spent much of the year working on various soundtracks and side-projects, but nothing else quite matches up to the magnificence of ‘>>>’. Like easy listening music thrown off a cliff and pieced back together again, ‘>>>’ is a Frankenstein’s monster of atmosphere, griminess, groove and space. Transcendent. Javi
Beak are less of a music group and more of a cluster of cosmic energy shot out from the centre of a black hole floating through space & time whilst sucking planet like debris in this hole and shaping it into sound waves to be presented through 3 humanoid species back on earth. And if you believe that then you’re bellend. BEAK>, California 2018
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Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever Hope Downs This Melbourne five piece first caught our attention last year when Sub Pop released The French Press, their second EP; catchy, super melodic pop songs that ticked all the ‘indie guitar classic’ boxes. Next up came the re-release of Talk Tight, their debut EP; a bit rougher around the edges but still with the same dreamy melodies and chiming guitars. So, could their first album proper live up to the promise of their earlier efforts? Yes! Is the simple answer to that. All the same reference points are there, but their sound has evolved. Subtly. It’s hard to put your finger on what’s different, but there’s a richness, an expansiveness to the sound, that was always there to some extent, but now seems more refined. With three guitarists, you’d expect the sound to be cluttered, but Tom Russo, Fran Keaney and Joe White, all play their own intricate
melodies that ebb and flow in and out of the songs, colliding beautifully from time to time, and far from being chaotic, this gives the album a lush, layered sound. They also share vocal duties, sometimes solo, sometimes in harmony, sometimes relaying through the songs, providing an energy and momentum throughout, while Joe Russo and Marcel Tussie’s bass and drums hold everything together. This album might have its roots in the city, and lyrically depict the sights, sounds and frustrations of urban living, but these are songs for wide open spaces, big skies, open roads, sunroof down, elbows in the breeze. Laura
Very pleased to be number 4 again this year at Piccadilly! Thanks a lot! Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever
Recom mend if you li ed k Go-Betw e: ee The Ch ns ills The Str okes
The Top 100 Albums: Top Ten
Recom mend if you li ed ke: Suic My Bloo ide dy Vale ntine Add N T o (X)
TVAM Psychic Data
Having first come to our attention via a couple of ultra limited 7” singles and a head turning DJ set for us on RSD16 we’ve been eagerly awaiting the debut album to drop from Joe Oxley AKA TVAM, and having finally arrived it certainly doesn’t disappoint. Kicking off the album with monolithic throbbing pulses, walls of toxic guitar riffage, vintage synths and phased vocal harmonies the title track throws us head first into the claustrophobic yet euphoric world of ‘Psychic Data’. The following tracks see distorted motorik grooves, shoegazey electronics, techno beats, slime punk, digital noise, and melodic psych all go into the TVAM blender.
Somehow holding and harnessing all these disparate elements together are the expert mixing fingers of Dean Honer (he of Add N To (X), Moonlandingz, and Eccentronic Research Council fame). A major influence on Oxley’s work, Honer has dusted ‘Psychic Data’ with a retro-futuristic sheen creating a hazy psychodramatic atmosphere that brings to mind proto-electro-punks Suicide, the swaying noise of MBV, and the brooding nostalgic gazing of Boards Of Canada. Quite simply, this is a superb debut album! Darryl
My earliest memory is of a chip-pan fire which happened when I was 3 years old. …it may or may not have happened. I don’t know. I picture myself in the third person when I think of it. I can see myself sat down on hog’s hair carpet tiles crying into a rusk while a commotion builds in the kitchen. I remember the time I forced myself to memorise an image of the cast of Rainbow and to recall it every time I left the house. I remember the time I choreographed a photoshoot for my Ghostbusters toys on a veranda while holidaying in the Costa del Sol.
I remember the time, after seeing Judge Dredd at the pictures, my cousin threw a piece of iron grid which left me with 5 stitches above my eye. These memories are all available in Psychic Data. You may wish to include your own while you listen. Including that tall guy who frequents the draughty corner of the shop by the boogie racks in your End of Year Review shows how kind-hearted you all are. Thank you Piccadilly Records for bestowing me this honour and for granting me such high-quality bragging rights over my friends. They will be truly sick. TVAM x
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The Top 100 Albums: Top Ten
Recom mend if you li ed ke: Gwenn o Broadc ast PJ Harv ey
Halo Maud Je Suis Une Île
While 2018 saw a whole host of strong releases from women armed with synthesisers, it was the heavenly-voiced Heavenly Recordings artist Halo Maud (also known as Maud Nadal) who ultimately snagged the electronic dream-pop crown and our hearts. While sonically, ‘Je Suis Une Île’ (‘I Am An Island’) coaxes, builds and beguiles, there was nothing subtle about the almighty splash it made when it first landed on the Piccadilly Stereo back in May. There’s something so cool yet so casual about the way Nadal’s vocals hang and swoop up top, far above those other voices which chirp and hark in the background, giving the songs a real sense of depth and space in which the music blossoms. And the music really does blossom, with Nadal dipping into vaporwave, Björk-esque theatricality (a lazy (but fair) comparison, I know), ethereal soundscaping and tribal post-punk and a thousand other genres at
various points. Album opener “Wherever” shimmies its way through five-minutes of soothing synth-based indie wanderings. Single “Baptism” swings along menacingly. Song-of-the-year nominees “Chanceuse” and “Des Bras” are quirk-pop masterpieces— dark, melancholic and off-beat enough to keep you on your toes, but never enough to detract from the gorgeous songwriting at play. The album pushes at the boundaries of ‘niceness’. It smiles, but it also bites. ‘Je Suis Une Île’ is a transportive album, stripping back the greys of the world and replacing them with light, shadow, and kaleidoscopic colour. Halo Maud’s island is a dazzling one indeed. Javi
My main goal is to surprise myself when I write music; I work with no intention at all, I just try to be as expressive as I can, in the harmonic progression, in every single note of a guitar solo, and in the words I choose of course, in the way they sound. This is so subtle sometimes, and difficult to explain; I just feel when I have reached what I needed to reach or not. There is no truth in all that, it’s subjective, and I just hope people will have some thrills somehow. Anyway the minimum you can do is to put all your passion and your soul in what you are creating. Otherwise it doesn’t make any sense. Halo Maud
order online at piccadillyrecords.com Four albums that influenced Ways Of Seeing. 1). Alan Hawkshaw: The Road Forward. Hawkshaw has been an influence on The Advisory Circle, since the first record, but I was listening a lot to this one during the making of Ways Of Seeing. The strongest element of all of Hawkshaw’s work is his mastery of arrangement; from which I try to learn a bit more each listen. 2). Suzanne Ciani: Buchla Concerts. Ever since I discovered Suzanne’s work, I’ve been drawn to the sense of space and the way her sounds constantly evolve and shift throughout her pieces. Tracks such as New Wave, New Energy wouldn’t exist in quite the same way without it. (Continued below).
Advisory Circle Ways Of Seeing Having crafted some of the most emotive synth-based instrumentals of the past fifteen years, encompassing everything from oddball library, pulsing Italo and shimmering kosmische through to hazy ambient soundscapery, Jon Brooks returns for his latest work under the Advisory Circle moniker. We get flickering, languid arpeggios and rippling waves of echo on “Airborne Seeds”, beautifully setting things up for the driven rhythmic chug of “Be Seeing You!”, much like the haunting “No Way Back” (featuring Ed Macfarlane of Friendly Fires fame, who Brooks also teamed up with as The Pattern Forms a couple years ago) seems to round off the carefully constructed run of crescentic (but comfortingly smooth) momentum before the more lysergic second half. The cosmic echoes and tingling anaesthesia of “Scuba” and futuristic slo-mo strut of “Skyways” are revisited in contrasting guises, with “The April Interval” and follower, “The Soft Dissolve” sharing elements of their character in the seemingly ungainly,
3). Thomas Dolby: The Golden Age Of Wireless. This album has seemingly always been there for me since I was a kid, but on Ways Of Seeing, I drew something from Dolby’s sense of classic pop songwriting and melody. It just seemed to fit in with part of the aesthetic of the production.
Recom mende d if you Manuel like: Göttsch in Pye Co rner Au g dio Cluster
lolloping bass being lifted by supportive and complimentary synthwork, transforming the rhythmic anomalies into a cascade of echoes, each as hypnotic and necessary as the last. It’s a testament to Brooks as a producer and a writer that there can be such a seamless and effective shift. It’s a stunning collection of songs, without a doubt, but the most impressive bit is that each glimmering colour in the sonic spectrum seamlessly aligns into its relative space in the polychromatic construction. A stunningly well-produced and rewarding listen, easily enjoyable but immeasurably deep. Once again, essential. Barry
4). Junior Boys: Big Black Coat. I’m a huge Junior Boys fan and I feel that Jeremy Greenspan’s sense of production and sound ploughs a very similar path to mine, in many ways. It’s also an incredibly well mixed record and it became a constant reference in the studio, when checking the sonics of my own mixes. Jon Brooks (The Advisory Circle)
The Top 100 Albums: Top Ten
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Phil France Circle
Recom mende d if you Boards like: Of Can ada Cinema tic Orc Nathan hestra Fake
Originally from Yorkshire, but now resident in Manchester, composer, bassist and producer Phil France is probably best known as being one half of Cinematic Orchestra. In 2013 he released his debut album, ‘The Swimmer’ to rapturous acclaim and now, some five years later, he follows it up with the magical ‘Circle’. ‘Circle’ is, at heart, a simple record, comprising no more than washes of sun dappled synths that sound like trees look, as the sun sets behind them, bouncing prisms of light off the leaves. Gentle, circular arpeggios pulse and are underpinned by drum patterns programmed by Aphex Twin and Boards of Canada on a languid Sunday afternoon. The idea of circles and repetition is especially important to Phil France. ‘The Circle is infinite — During the process of making this record, I have been constantly
I’m very proud to be signed to a Manchester based label (Matthew Halsall’s Gondwana Records) so playing a live In Store at Piccadilly Records just after my album release at the end of Summer was a fantastic opportunity and an important step for me after a live hiatus for several years. It was a great experience performing my new LP, Circle, live in the shop literally surrounded by fantastic music and people (thanks to all those who came out & thanks to Matthew & Patrick & crew for generally just being
reminded that nothing ever stays the same and that all is in constant flux. The challenge for me is always to respond positively, be aware of and seize the opportunity for progression constant change provides’. Indeed, to listen to the record in its entirety is to be reminded of the circular nature of everything that surrounds us. ‘Circle’ soundtracks the rising and setting of the sun, the changing of the seasons, the ageing of the people we love. It’s a subject that has always inspired great art. T S Eliot said ‘What we call the beginning is often the end. And to make an end is to make a beginning.’ I’m almost certain he was listening to Phil France at the time. Dave ace). Personal highlights included seeing my 5 year old daughter down the front, her arms draped over the counter with eyes like saucers taking in her old man’s new venture. And as if all the above wasn’t already enough (note: it really was) I am subsequently delighted to learn that Circle has made it into the Piccadilly Records End of Year Chart. Therefore a huge doff of the cap and a heartfelt thank you once again to the fine folks at Piccadilly Records for their steadfast and mightily appreciated support. Phil France
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Ezra Collective Juan Pablo: The Philosopher
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Ezra Collective are a 5-piece from London who have turned the jazz scene on its head. Just one part of the ever-growing group of musicians in London shaping the future of contemporary jazz, they follow classic traditions but have breathed new life by infusing afrobeat and hip hop into their sound. The blossoming unison of brass and percussion swings this album underway, proud, loud and bold. The titular track ‘The Philosopher’ manages to keep everyone on their toes, you just feel a compelling force to do a head-bob and shoulder-sway, its liveliness is infectious! The album provides so much originality and a fresh outlook on jazz, Ezra Collective have absolutely nailed it.
Recom mende d if yo Kamas u like: i Washin gton, John C o Kamaa ltrane l William s
Another favourite of mine from the album, ‘People In Trouble’ begins with the most captivating and calming notes, then before you know it you’re swept up in the full fastpaced rhythm reaching dizzying heights of melodic goodness. If you were looking for your staple jazz album to complete your year then this is the one, dynamic, raw and innovative in all the right ways. Contemporaries Binker and Moses, Kamasi and Yussef Kamaal are on the same wavelength so if you enjoy their sound then Ezra Collective is right up your street. Time to breathe in that London jazz-filled air which is surrounding the city. Millie
Piccadilly is one of the most soulful record stores in the country. I most recently attended on tour with Jorja Smith in November 2018 and was blown away not only by the incredible selection of jazz, rare groove and everything else funky, (from Alice Coltrane, Children Of Zeus, Yazmin Lacey and John Coltrane, they had it all), but also the incredibly kind and knowledgeable staff. To be considered in their iconic albums of the year chart is such an honour. It’s the kind of store which inspires us to keep making vinyl and hope to have many many more Ezra Collective records in there. God Bless, Femi Koleoso
The Top 100 Albums: Top Ten
ed end mm ke: o c Re you li rin if d n Na Khu os Ban r. d i u a f B f The chels A i M l E
Khruangbin Con Todo El Mundo Following on from their debut album ‘The Universe Smiles Upon You’, Texan three-piece Khruangbin have offered up a second album of soft, hypnotic psychedelia. The overall sound is familiar — meandering guitar lines supported by melodic dub bass and funky backbeats. Yet their sphere of influence now reaches beyond their beloved 60s/70s Thai cassettes to include funk and soul of the Mediterranean and the Middle East. ‘Con Todo El Mundo’ was written and recorded in a remote barn in Texas, surrounded by fields of cows and open skies. In turn, Khruangbin open up an expansive space for their listeners, with instrumentation that is often sparse but not lacking in substance. The album mixes playful energy with languid grooves and offers moments of mediation and quiet profundity. “Cómo Te Quiero” is a heartfelt nod to the late grandfather of bassist, Laura Lee. Hymnal guitar riffs drift
over spacious backbeats and tripped out speech-song vocals. The more determined “Maria También” features turbulent guitar lines interlocked with tight “Apache” inspired breakbeats. “Evan Finds The Third Room” is an irresistible disco-funk number while “Friday Morning” is an ever evolving love song with gentle changes in tempo and distant vocal melodies. The wide appeal of Khruangbin has not faltered as they continue to hit some kind of musical sweet spot. What they produce is simple, stylish and contained within a rich, warm bubble of sound. Let’s hope they keep spreading their lovely vibe por todo el mundo. Emily
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“It’s so good, everything on it is brilliant”
- LAUREN LAVERNE, BBC 6 MUSIC
"Exquisite”
- MIXMAG 9/10
"This is truly a rare listening experience” - BOB BOILEN, NPR
"A fittingly eerie late-night listen" - HOLLY GORDON, CBC
www.latenighttales.co.uk
Khruangbin - Con Todo El Mundo
Rae & Christian - Mercury Rising
Leifur James - A Louder Silence
Khruangbin - The Universe Smiles Upon You
www.nighttimestories.co.uk
Chaouche - Safe
Garden City Movement - Apollonia
The Top 100 Albums: Top Twenty
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Recommended if you like: Tame Impala Of Montreal Ariel Pink
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Recommended if you like: Durutti Column Mac DeMarco Spike
MGMT Little Dark Age Martin: MGMT’s debut, “Oracular Spectacular”, had the double fortune of both containing a wealth of insanely catchy tunes and not merely capturing the zeitgeist, but defining it. The two albums that followed, however, were admirable mainly for their refusal to play the game, so it wasn’t with any sense of anticipation that their 2018 offering made its way apologetically into a vacant tray of the Piccadilly CD player. Except it turned out to be brilliant; witty, pointed observations set to a string of sublime, ostensibly sunny 80s pop classics. Highlights include the cheeky goth satire of the title track, the melancholic pop glee of “Me And Michael” and the breezy, suicidal jauntiness of “When You Die”. Uneasy, surreal undertones never allow ‘Little Dark Age’ to settle into straight Miami Vice nostalgia. It’s definitely more Syd Barrett than Empires Of The Sun...
Eleventeen Eston At The Water Syl: A daydreaming journey handcrafted by one half of Wilson Tanner. Yes, ‘69’, 2016’s ambient masterpiece. This time it’s just John Tanner at the controls. Think of The Durutti Column and Woo and a dash of Brian Eno, filled to the brim with hazy ambient and hints of dreamy pop — it will never hit the charts though (bar our own). By dreamy pop I refer to artists such as Ariel Pink, Mac DeMarco or Conan Mockasin. Some of the compositions could very well fit into an Arthur Russell back catalogue LP with no effort. The album is filled with gentle waves of analogue noise and one cannot stop thinking about the idea of a chilled sunset by the ocean. There are a variety of different moods and tempos along the journey with the guitar really taking the centre stage on many occasions. We can splurt descriptions and lines about any album but when they are as ethereal and varied as this one here, it is best to give it a listen on your own. It is indeed a rather essential and perhaps overlooked LP on the seminal Growing Bin label.
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Recommended if you like: Liz Phair The Breeders St. Vincent
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Recommended if you like: Andy Votel Goat Erkin Koray
Courtney Barnett Tell Me How You Really Feel Barry: After the stunning early EP’s and breakthrough LP, ‘Sometimes I Sit And Think...’ it was always going to be a hard followup for Barnett, but on ‘Tell Me How You Really Feel’, she illustrates perfectly her unrivalled mastery of unhurried songwriting and snappy, low-key punk spirit. The RSD release of ‘City Looks Pretty’ was a great early insight into the refined production and clashing garage aesthetic but did little to prepare for the mindblowing melodicism of ‘Charity’ and its jaw-dropping chorus or the finely balanced morosity of follower, ‘Need A Little Time’. It’s the contrast between the driven, energetic elements of Barnett’s sound that provide a stark but fitting counterpoint to the more whimsical, carefree pieces, both working together to round out ‘Tell Me How You Really Feel’ into the most diverse, but melodically succinct offering yet. Eminently listenable but texturally rich, this is an absolute career high.
Altin Gün On Mine: Dutch-Turkish-Indonesian outfit Altin Gün provide a modern, accessible spin on traditional Turkish folk songs, some of which were written by ‘Turkey’s own Bob Dylan’ Neşet Ertaş and are now almost unrecognisable, often only sharing the lyrics with the original. Groovy bass lines, funky percussion and psych-y guitars cleverly complement the traditional folk songs, making it hard for even the most reserved to not at least tap their feet and nod their head to the beat. The album is full of upbeat psych funk (my favourite is the uber groovy “Şeker Oğlan” with its addictive bass and cosmic synth line), but the true standout is the mournful and true to original “Şad Olup Gülmedim” that conjures up images of a misty Middle Eastern night sky. “On” is a must listen for all fans of psych funk and world psychedelia (and anyone else really)!
The Top 100 Albums: Top Twenty
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Recommended if you like: Dirty Three Codeine Red House Painters
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Recommended if you like: The Stone Roses The Primitives Belle & Sebastian
Low Double Negative Martin: It’s been 25 years since Low launched their singular career. What is almost unprecedented is that far from the usual endless desperate relaunches, rebranding and ever diminishing returns common for artists around for that length of time, “Double Negative” is not only utterly relevant — in sound and philosophy — but is every bit is as good as the astonishing “Things We Lost In The Fire”. The beautiful languor of their sound and haunted, exquisite vocal power of Mimi Parker and Alan Sparhawk are still very much in place, and lose none of their penetration for sometimes being buried deep under distortion. There is added anger at Trump’s grotesque administration simmering under the surface, but this is resolutely Low, the feeling is consistent under the invention. Inexorable, gorgeous and dark, the whole thing, from beginning to end, is stunning.
The Orielles Silver Dollar Moment Andy: Orielles are a young band from Halifax comprising of sisters Esme and Sidone Hand-Halford and pal Henry Wade (bass/vocals, drums, guitar respectively). This is classic indie-pop that ticks some pretty cool boxes (Pastels, Postcard, Factory 80’s axis, mixed with some US 90’s scuzz-rock/sense of abandonment) but there’s nothing bleached out or dreary going on here. Orielles don’t just jangle and riff like so many also-rans, they groove away with heartwarming, joyously youthful drums and percussion, blending Afropop with ACR topped with girl-next-door vocals. They possess the natural, wide-eyed buoyancy which comes with being so young but also incredibly good taste and touchstones which are all chucked in to their glorious melting pot; churned and turned into indie-pop nuggets. A retro-savvy band but with a brand new sound, if this is the start then the future should be so exciting.
order online at piccadillyrecords.com
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Recommended if you like: A Tribe Called Quest D’Angelo De La Soul
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Recommended if you like: John Grant Human League LCD Soundsystem
Children Of Zeus Travel Light Patrick: After a trio of 7” sizzlers and a killer compilation EP, Children Of Zeus, the collaborative vehicle of legendary Costa Del Salford MC Konny Kon and MCR vocalist Tyler Daley, finally delivered their debut LP this year. The result of two decades of ups, downs and sidesteps in the cruel world of UK hip hop, ‘Travel Light’ sees the duo drop their baggage and look to a brighter future. Ditching the bravado of our transatlantic cousins in favour of world weary Northern wisdom, Children Of Zeus specialise in real talk, lacing their flows with honesty, self awareness and humour. The spirit of South Manchester’s pirate radio looms large over ‘Travel Light’, holding it down as the duo wheel through BBQ bubblers, street soul steppers and neck snap boom bap, adding flavours of lovers rock and broken beat for rhythmic variation. And above it all we have Tyler’s silken smooth vocals and Konny’s laid back rap, the perfect two punch combo to land a knockout.
Baxter Dury, Étienne De Crécy, Delilah Holliday B.E.D Andy: The first thing you’ll notice is, of course, Baxter Dury’s voice. So distinctive. Then the synths, electronics and pop grooves make it obvious that something new is afoot. It’s the addition of classic, French, electro-indie luminary, Étienne De Crécy who has made the difference and now this is Baxter Dury like you’ve never heard him before. He is joined on vocal duties by Delilah Holliday of London group Skinny Girl whom Baxter has credited with encouraging him to really open up, really get to the core of things. He’s still moody, cynical and sleazy as fuck, mind, but this just feels different, probably because of the poppier context. I say “pop” but these electro sounds are not of the sparkly variety, by the way: they’re minimal and throbbing, steeped in the early 80s dark-synth era, and the perfect counterfoil to the twin deadpan voices on top.
The Top 100 Albums: Top Twenty
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Recommended if you like: The Bees Super Furry Animals Django Django
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Recommended if you like: The Stone Roses Jane Weaver Francoise Hardy
Boy Azooga 1, 2, Kung Fu! Andy: Davey Newington is the Welsh pop wizard behind ‘1, 2, Kung Fu!’ He played every instrument and wrote every song. It’s interesting he took up drumming from a very young age, because apart from the sublime melodies all over this record, it’s the different beats and rhythms which make it such dynamic fun. This is not some standard indie-pop guitar album. Firstly the song-writing (in “Jerry” and “Waitin’” you have two of the best tunes of 2018) is of a very high calibre but secondly the different styles are so expertly melded together with preludes and reprises and superb production throughout, that the whole thing flows like some joyous teenage mixtape. There’s elements of Super Furry Animals, Tame Impala and even William Onyeabor but for me this album brings to mind the towering tunesmithery of Elliott Smith. But happy! There’s no higher compliment.
Whyte Horses Empty Words Andy: Whyte Horses return with their second album and it’s every bit as good as their Piccadilly Records Album of the Year debut. If your musical DNA was forged in that classic mid 80s/60s indie-pop hybrid, where melody was God, then this is the band, and this is the record for you. I love that although main guy Dom Thomas is renowned for his crate-digging eclecticism, he is bold enough to site the Stone Roses as his favourite group of all time. Primetime, 87-89, pure pop, Roses, that is. It’s there in the incredible song-craft, the sense of longing, the timelessness, the otherworldliness. To this template he sprinkles his exotic fairy dust, and crucially gets female singers (plain, pure and true) to deliver the splendour. The result is ‘Empty Words’, a psych-pop masterpiece that will break your heart then heal it, fifteen times over.
roughtraderecords.com twenty eighteen
record label
GOAT GIRL
- GOAT GIRL -
PARQUET COURTS
SLEAFORD MODS
GRUFF RHYS
THE DECEMBERISTS
- WIDE AWAKE! -
THE MOLDY PEACHES - MOLDY PEACHES -
- BABELSBERG -
PRINCESS NOKIA
- A GIRL CRIED RED -
- SLEAFORD MODS -
- I’LL BE YOUR GIRL -
STARCRAWLER - STARCRAWLER -
The Top 100 Albums: Top Fifty
21. White Denim: Performance Barry: Classic White Denim this, clean and sophisticated, prone to getting dirty at the drop of a hat and a brilliantly innovative twist on an already established body of material. Top quality blues fuelled garage-rock. Recommended if you like: The Black Keys, Steve Miller Band, T.Rex.
22. Spiritualized: And Nothing Hurt Barry: A brilliantly written, beautifully evocative distillation of the live Spiritualized sound on this newest LP from Jason Pierce. Classic S3 melodies and progressions, intimately presented and as immersive as ever. A fitting return for one of the greats. Recommended if you like: Spacemen 3, Velvet Underground, Galaxie 500.
23. Kurt Vile: Bottle It In Andy: Everything we love about Kurt Vile in one superb LP. More dynamic than his last outing and the most beautifully produced of all his albums, ‘Bottle It In’ also features a cover of Charlie Rich’s “Rollin’ With The Flow”; a massive, classic, country-pop beaut, which is possibly the prettiest thing he’s ever committed to tape. Recommended if you like: The War On Drugs, Woods, Neil Young.
24. Leon Vynehall: Nothing Is Still Matt: Nice to see ol’ Leon Vynehall spreading his musical wings here and offering up something completely fresh. Ambient, jazz-tinged and most tropical, this is the producer taking a well deserved, horizontally-aligned rest; and we should all revel in its glory. Recommended if you like: Jon Hopkins, Daniel Avery, George Fitzgerald.
25. Idles: Joy As An Act Of Resistance Barry: Much of the same wry lyricism, insightful and observational social commentary and clever irony as their much-lauded debut but brought into the present with an inter-band chemistry and development of style that the intermittent years have brought out. Snappy, clever and loud. Recommended if you like: Sleaford Mods, Shame, Dead Kennedys.
order online at piccadillyrecords.com
26. Prins Emanuel: Diagonal Musik Patrick: I’ve been a big fan of Prins Emanuel for a long time now, and his weirdo disco gem “Arbete / Fritid” has been in my record box ever since it came out. Here he throws us the most delightful curveball, dodging the dance floor and delivering eight gorgeous acoustic guitar compositions. Intimate, otherworldly and deeply evocative, this is the kind of record you’ll listen to until the day you die. Recommended if you like: Durutti Column, Colleen, José González.
27. Blood Orange: Negro Swan Millie: The return of the incredible Dev Hynes brings us ‘Negro Swan’, and his music continues to be the most innovative and original sound out there at the moment. Hynes explores themes of sexuality and the struggles of people of colour on this album, and brings a message of hope. Blood Orange has a powerful voice and his work remains worlds apart from everyone else — big love. Recommended if you like: D’Angelo, Frank Ocean, Solange.
28. Les Big Byrd: Iran Iraq IKEA Barry: Part psych, part electronic, part motorik rock, Les Big Byrd manage to take every idea from their sphere of influence and mix them into a cohesive and absorbing whole. Brilliantly dynamic, hugely varied and most of all, richly rewarding. Recommended if you like: Follokzoid, Goat, Wooden Shjips.
29. Tim Burgess: As I Was Now Andy: For an album it’s creator forgot to release(!!?) and with such a diverse cast of contributors (My Bloody Valentine, The Horrors, Primal Scream and Ladyhawke) this will really surprise you with its cohesion and beautiful melodic sensibility. This is a really good collection of songs, easily as good as Tim’s previous solo work, and the puzzle remains: why such a below the radar / casual release? Recommended if you like: New Order, Ariel Pink, Primal Scream.
30. Parquet Courts: Wide Awake! Barry: It’s hard to dislike Parquet Courts, what with their dedication to oddball time signatures and funked-out chaka-chaka rhythms, and heady mix of soaring power chords, introspective breakdowns and massive, chugging heft. This is classic Parquet Courts. Recommended if you like: The Fall, Pavement, Sonic Youth.
The Top 100 Albums: Top Fifty
new for 2018 on bella union records...
The Top 100 Albums: Top Fifty
31. Lucy Dacus: Historian Millie: Dacus’ light Americana leanings of the superb ‘No Burden’ are sidelined slightly for her grander, more expansive new outing, ‘Historian’. Though her smouldering guitar work and unmistakable voice are ever present, they are skilfully woven into an intricate and all-encompassing web of orchestration, grandeur and beauty. This is a stunner, and every bit the successful follow-up. Recommended if you like: Cat Power, Angel Olsen, Jenny Lewis.
32. Shelter: Profondeur 4000 Patrick: Stunning sub-aquatic imagery and deep water ambience from Parisian producer Shelter here, who joins the Growing Bin ranks with one of their finest releases to date. Melodic, exotic and esoteric, this has been a regular presence on the Piccadilly player since it was released. Recommended if you like: Brian Eno, Cluster, Harmonia.
33. D.A.L.I (Deadly Avenger & Luke Insect): When Haro Met Sally Barry: Another superb slice of 80s electronics and saturated synth throbs from the ever-reliable Burning Witches label. Snappy gated snares ring out over the hazy horizon, one thousand over-sized boom boxes blare sound to the polyester-clad dude-shouting masses. Honestly the best synth music I’ve heard since D/A/D. Recommended if you like: Pye Corner Audio, Johnny Jewel, Cavern Of Anti-Matter.
34. Nils Frahm: All Melody Barry: Brittle pieces, flecked with ambient interludes and soaring, spine-tingling euphoric electronic elements. This is by far the most diverse, but thematically impeccable Frahm outing yet. Recommended if you like: Brian Eno, Harold Budd, Max Richter.
35. Cavern Of Anti-Matter: Hormone Lemonade Darryl: Another superb outing for Cavern Of Anti-Matter, with the throbbing synth pulses and hypnotic motorik beats returning with aplomb. Things take a little more of an orchestral turn this time, with simmering progressions halting to make room for nuanced passages of ambient bliss. Recommended if you like: Neu!, Stereolab, Beak>.
The Top 100 Albums: Top Fifty
36. Gogo Penguin: A Humdrum Star Millie: Gogo Penguin continue to redefine what ‘jazz’ is to a lot of people (myself included). Continuing to skilfully eschew staid progressions and inject an electronic ambiguity into wilfully beautiful compositions, GGP remain as groundbreaking yet listenable as ever. Essential. Recommended if you like: Matthew Halsall, BadBadNotGood, Fila Brazillia.
37. Tess Parks & Anton Newcombe: Tess Parks & Anton Newcombe Barry: Another brilliant outing from Tess Parks & Anton of Brian Jonestown Massacre, with the head-nodding psychedelic chug of the latter being beautifully accentuated by the lysergic, drifting vocals of the former. A stunning continuation of their already mindblowing first LP, but much more refined and focused. Recommended if you like: The Brian Jonestown Massacre, Black Angels, The Liminanas.
38. Oh Sees: Smote Reverser Barry: They’re back again, reliably presenting us with their annual outing as ‘Oh Sees’ (not to mention their interim performances as any variety of that name), and they have reliably smashed it out of the park. Unbelievably grooving, beautifully constructed and forged with as much intensity as anything they’ve ever created. Once again, it’s all predictably brilliant. Recommended if you like: Can, Fuzz, Ty Segall.
39. Wild Nothing: Indigo Andy: From glowing jangly guitars and Tatum’s soaring vox, Wild Nothing deliver a more cohesive and slick outing than 2016’s shop favourite, ‘Life Of Pause’. A superb progression in dynamics whilst still retaining the superb melodicism that made them so appealing in the first place. Ace. Recommended if you like: Washed Out, DIIV, Horsebeach.
40. Eleanor Friedberger: Rebound Andy: Beautifully smooth synthetic soundscapes, deep and rich harmonic flow all topped by Friedberger’s haunting but strangely soothing vocal accentuations. Rich and immersive, and beautifully written throughout. Recommended if you like: Fiery Furnaces, Cate Le Bon, Jenny Lewis.
order online at piccadillyrecords.com
– I Can Feel You Creep Into My Private Life
U.S.GIRLS
– In A Poem Unlimited
THE BREEDERS
THE LEMON TWIGS
THE NATIONAL
GANG GANG DANCE
TUNE -YARDS
– Go To School
– Boxer Live In Brussels
– All Nerve
– Kazuashita
2018 – PIXIES
– Come On Pilgrim... It’s Surfer Rosa
THIS MORTAL COIL – 3 Album Re-issues
WWW.4AD.COM
The Top 100 Albums: Top Fifty
The Top 100 Albums: Top Fifty
41. Gulp: All Good Wishes Andy: Beautiful, dreamy, electro-psych-pop from the erstwhile Super Furries man and his partner. If you liked Gwenno and Jane Weaver then you’ll love this. It’s sublime. Recommended if you like: Goldfrapp, Jane Weaver, Cocteau Twins.
42. Gazelle Twin: Pastoral Martin: Elizabeth Bernholz returns for another brilliantly off-piste collection of post-Nine Inch Nails industrial scree, thudding glitches and bit-crushed vocal abstractions, filtered through a rosy, synth-pop gel and smashed into a thousand pieces before being reformed, Burroughsstyle. Completely baffling but thoroughly brilliant. Recommended if you like: Fever Ray, The Knife, Laurel Halo.
43. Mien: Mien Barry: It would be impossible to imagine a better line-up than these four veterans of psych and indie-rock (The Black Angels’ Alex Maas, The Horrors’ Tom Furse, Elephant Stone’s Rishi Dhir and The Earlies’ John-Mark Lapham), and the product of their hard work is every bit as brilliant as you’d imagine. Fuzzy-headed psychedelic swirls, thumping percussion and chugging, kosmische riffs. Recommended if you like: Temples, Toy, Black Mountain.
44. Mogwai: KIN Darryl: The first venture into the world of the feature film soundtracks from famously brilliant instrumental(ish) rockers Mogwai, bringing together both the brittle, minimalist atmospherics and earth-shaking euphoric rock they’ve become so known for. Recommended if you like: Godspeed You Black Emperor!, Tortoise, Sigur Ros.
45. Kamasi Washington: Heaven & Earth Patrick: The man responsible for turning a younger generation of music lovers onto the passion and power of jazz returns with the bombastic brilliance of his sophomore album. Seriously spiritual and surprisingly groovy, ‘Heaven & Earth’ incorporates Marvin-esque soul, Old Testament intensity and soaring, searing solos into a breathtaking vision of jazz’s next incarnation. Recommended if you like: Thundercat, John Coltrane, Miles Davis.
The Top 100 Albums: Top Fifty
46. Fatima: And Yet It’s All Love Millie: Fatima has been quiet for four years, until now. ‘And Yet It’s All Love’ is her usual soulful style but shown in an array of emotions, from some sassy hip hop to heavenly heartfelt vocals, my personal favourites are ‘Only’ and ‘So Rite’. So so good. Recommended if you like: Jessie Ware, Erykah Badu, Aaliyah.
47. La Luz: Floating Features Barry: Like the least acid-addled moments of Jefferson Airplane / Starship mixed with the bright psychedelic warmth of Morgan Delt, La Luz provide a heady and immersive journey into the underbelly of 70s Los Angeles. Open your mind, and enjoy the ride. Recommended if you like: Best Coast, Veronica Falls, Chastity Belt.
48. Kamaal Williams: The Return Millie: Brilliantly funked-up jazz grooves, rolling bass licks and flickering percussion make this not only a fitting follow-up to Williams’ collaboration LP from last year, but a significant progression. Simply stunning, and every bit the summer jazz stormer. Recommended if you like: Robert Glasper, Herbie Hancock, Stevie Wonder
49. Christine And The Queens: Chris Barry: Christine and the Queens return after their lauded 2014 outing, ‘Chaleur Humaine’ with their newest, sensual slice of shimmering synthpop and smoothly delivered percussive vox. Brilliantly reminiscent, harking back to the days of Linn drums and gated reverb, but handled with a bang-up-to-date production sensibility and knowing nod to the classics of yesteryear. Available in both English and French versions. Recommended if you like: Fever Ray, Prince, Charlotte Gainsbourg.
50. The Vryll Society: Course Of The Satellite Andy: Blissed-out early-Verve vibes topped with nifty psych-pop melodies make this a pretty impressive debut album. Ones to watch! Recommended if you like: The Verve, Echo & The Bunnymen, The Coral.
order online at piccadillyrecords.com
The Top 100 Albums
51. Johnny Marr: Call The Comet
58. Mildlife: Phase
“Call The Comet is set in the not-too-distant future” says Marr, “and is mostly concerned with the idea of an alternative society. It’s my own magic realism.”
Australia's cosmic jazz funkers’ masterpiece. Groovy as you like, soaked in full bodied analogue sounds and packed with an endless stream of irresistible melody, riff and solo.
52. Lovely Eggs: This Is Eggland
59. Natalie Prass: The Future And The Past
Working with a producer for the first time (Dave Fridmann) has harnessed their unique blend of wonky underground indie-rock into a heavier than usual in-yer-face wig-out.
A brilliantly smooth set of low-key soul, funky synth-pop and swooning groove-led summer anthems. Prass' perfectly emotive vox offset the choppy funk with aplomb.
53. Daniel Avery: Song For Alpha
60. Toshio Matsuura Group : Loveplaydance 8 Scenes From The Floor
Delicately presented electroacoustic compositions, supported with a finely honed backbone of melodic suggestion and hypnotic rhythmic pulse.
54. Hampshire & Foat: Nightshade Following on from ‘The Honeybear’ Hampshire & Foat have created another captivating album in the form of ‘Nightshade’; a beguiling mix of ambient, jazz and folk.
5. John Grant: 5 Love Is Magic Once again, John Grant pulls out a diverse range of influences into a cohesive and superb combination of off-piste vocal timbres, mind-melting synths and spine-tingling melodies.
56. Sons Of Kemet: Your Queen Is A Reptile Shabaka Hutchings’ ensemble celebrate the UK’s Caribbean diaspora with a genre blending fusion of jazz, hip hop and dub perfectly timed for the Windrush anniversary.
57. Mattiel: Mattiel Classic, warm, garage riffing, soully melodies but with a huskily honeyed folky voice. And the songwriting is superb!
Brownswood yet again producing the best jazz around, the twist of standards presented in a contemporary way is fab!
61. Beach House: 7 Another superb outing from Beach House, this time a slightly more cinematic affair, with huge ambient washes, swooning guitar and that unmistakable vocal style we've come to expect.
62. Ryley Walker: Deafman Glance Showcasing the tender plucking acoustrickery we've come to know and love, but now with the psychedelic element all the more pronounced.
63. Allysha Joy: Acadie: Raw The album has a bold powerful presence and her take on R’n’B is refreshingly original. Her vocals are beautifully husky and you can feel the emotion weaved throughout the album.
64. Holy Motors: Slow Sundown Haunting female vocals and shoegazey guitars make this hazy-psych album the perfect soundtrack for a night drive, but it sounds just as good for a bit of couch lounging. Promise!
The Top 100 Albums
65. Okkervil River : In The Rainbow Rain
71. Mitski: Be The Cowboy
Having recruited new bandmates, main-man Sheff has kept the original appeal whilst pushing the sound forward with hints of smooth synth-pop and trademark swooning indie anthems.
Forward thinking synth-pop progressions, beautifully balanced song structures and Mitski's unmistakable vocals. Superb stuff.
66. Rival Consoles: Persona
Brilliantly smooth but uncompromisingly melodic, Shame intertwine the spirit of 80s hardcore with the precision playing and intricate structural flux of today's more dynamic musical frontrunners.
Like his 2015 opus 'Howl', 'Persona' treads the line between ambience and leftfield techno whilst staying resolutely listenable and thoroughly jaw-dropping.
67. Arctic Monkeys: Tranquility Base Hotel + Casino After their biggest hit yet and looming world domination, the Monkeys swerve left, then up, out and onto the astral plane! This lounge masterpiece blows up their style template, and opens new possibilities for this inspirational band.
68. Amen Dunes: Freedom Incredibly good fifth album by Amen Dunes. Harrowing vocals, captivating melodies and an overall sense of romance, pain and honesty.
69. The Beths: Future Me Hates Me The antipodean onslaught continues with New Zealand's The Beths. 'Future Me Hates Me' is the shortest, sharpest most bittersweet collection of three minute pop songs we've heard this year.
70. Calm: By Your Side Japanese producer Calm joins the Hell Yeah clan via this sumptuous double LP of blissful Balearic vibrations, extending summer indefinitely with an instant classic.
72. Shame: Songs Of Praise
73. Unknown Mortal Orchestra: Sex & Food Jangly riffs, pitch-perfect falsetto and impeccable writing, 'Sex & Food' is UMO’s finest work to date.
74. Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs: King Of Cowards An epic conceptual behemoth centred around the seven sins and sounding like a metal freight train smashing into a mountain at full speed.
75. Gaz Coombes: World's Strongest Man The magnificent third solo album by Gaz Coombes. A truly remarkable collection of eleven deeply personal songs each set to expansive, addictive melody.
76. Thom Yorke: Suspiria (Music For The Luca Guadagnino Film) A score for the re-imagining of the 70s horror classic that works amazingly well as a standalone album too. Piano/vocal ballads, Krautrock-esque modular synths and multi-layered melodies.
77. Mr. Fingers: Cerebral Hemispheres Larry Heard follows up that spectacular 12" with his first album of new material in years. Ranging from the deep and soulful to the totally alien, this is top tackle from the real OG.
MEMPHIS INDUSTRIES 2018 The Go! Team Semicircle “A psychedelic tonic… they’re coming back around hard”
★★★★ The Observer
Field Music Open Here “No other existing British group gets near their level of creativity”
★★★★
Mojo / Album Of The Month
Nadine Oh My “An enchanting debut… reveals itself slowly with each listen”
★★★★ Uncut
Odetta Hartman Old Rockhounds Never Die “Mixes folk, bluegrass, and Americana with experimental or warped psychedelia” Stereogum
Menace Beach Black Rainbow Sound “An intoxicating ride, with the band pushing the limits of their last LP to its extremes with stunning results” DIY
Haley Pleasureland “Moments of joy to keep you listening, and hopeful” The Line Of Best Fit
COMING IN 2019, LOOK OUT FOR ALBUMS FROM YOU TELL ME, MALIHINI, STATS AND MORE. WWW.MEMPHIS-INDUSTRIES.COM
The Top 100 Albums
78. Virginia Wing: Ecstatic Arrow
84. Forma: Semblance
Using dreamy, floating melodies and drums with reverb for days, Virginia Wing manage to craft a delicately airy sound without sacrificing any of the inherent melodic content.
Finely structured cosmic melodies, perfectly produced to weave its way into your consciousness. Sit back and zone out.
79. Insecure Men: Insecure Men Led by a couple of Fat White Family members, Insecure Men superbly blend together exotica, easy listening, lounge and timeless pop music.
80. Preoccupations: New Material One of the greatest modern post-punk outfits return for one of their most blistering outings yet. Atmospheric and ambient in parts, and downright catatonic in others, this is the sound of a band reaching the peak of their game.
85. Still Corners: Slow Air Evoking the atmospheric sounds Still Corners are known for, 'Slow Air' continues the band's journey with an album full of tension and brooding all the while wrapped in a reverb laden dream.
86. Goatman: Rhythms A solo project from the mysterious Swedish collective Goat. Snappy percussion, rolling horns and fuzzed-out psychedelic soloing, pulsing grooves and richly hypnotic bass.
81. Princess Nokia: A Girl Cried Red
87. Exploded View: Obey
Rapper Princess Nokia's emo-punk side has emerged and it's fab. She’s clearly on a mission to do exactly what she wants without a care for anyone else, the resulting ‘A Girl Cried Red’ is all the better for it.
Woozy, languid psychedelic atmospheres wrap around a solid foundation of reticent percussion and pulsing bass drones. Rich and multi-layered but beautifully concise at the same time.
82. Yo La Tengo: There's A Riot Going On Drowning under a delightful wave of swirling percussion and psychedelic guitar scree, Kaplan's voice is as beguiling as ever, anchoring the whole affair from floating away on a blissful cloud.
83. Cornelius: Mellow Waves Cornelius returns after a 10 year hiatus with ‘Mellow Waves’, a playful mish mash of styles: funk, soul, jazz, pop, electronica, folk etc, as you'd expect, but it's less jarring and more laid back.
88. Bjørn Torske: Byen Shimmering space disco peppered with jazz, deep house and ambient styles. An album you can groove to on the floor or in your chair!
89. King Tuff: The Other A bleak but unbelievably addictive journey into the mind of King Tuff, through the euphoric highs and crushing lows, acoustic balladry and stoned musings.
BELLE AND SEBASTIAN HOW TO SOLVE OUR HUMAN PROBLEMS “These sparky songs are the freshest the band has sounded in years. What a revelation”
LUCY DACUS HISTORIAN “An extraordinary piece of work”
CAR SEAT HEADREST TWIN FANTASY “Increasingly feel like a significant band, and Toledo like an unusual and compelling voice”
- Loud & Quiet
- The Guardian
LIZ PHAIR GIRLY-SOUND TO GUYVILLE: THE 25TH ANNIVERSARY BOX SET “A feminist pop watershed” - Sunday Times
- MOJO
SNAIL MAIL YO LA TENGO THERE’S A LUSH RIOT GOING ON “The slow-burning rock “A blissful, detailed album of summer” album that’s resplen- i-D dent with calming properties”
ICEAGE BEYONDLESS “Their most intriguing and fully rounded album to date” - The Observer
- FACT
INTERPOL MARAUDER “Affecting and immediate” - The Guardian
BODY/HEAD THE SWITCH “The most compelling project to have emerged from the ashes of Sonic Youth” - The Wire
KURT VILE boygenius BOTTLE IT IN boygenius “Masterfully distinctive “Alt-rock dream team” as that of any auteur” - Sunday Times - Uncut
matadorrecords.com
The Top 100 Albums
90. Bugge Wesseltoft & Prins Thomas: Bugge Wesseltoft & Prins Thomas Take one part Bugge Wesseltoft jazz, a generous helping of Prins Thomas Balearic and shake over ice until the whole thing starts to fizz.
91. The Limiñanas: Shadow People Smooth, psychedelic meanderings full of rich, warming guitar and soothing, softly spoken French vox.
92. Anna St. Louis: If Only There Was A River Brilliant midwest Americana from Anna St. Louis, full of rich, soaring strings and tenderly plucked guitars, which form a beautiful backdrop to her mesmeric voice.
93. Sauna Youth: Deaths Another crashing punk assault from Sauna Youth with thudding kick drums, fuzzed guitars and snarling, spitting vox akimbo.
94. Grouper: Grid Of Points Simmering slow piano, beautiful layered vocals and cavernous reverb all form together to make this one of Liz Harris' most enthralling outings to date.
95. Holy Wave: Adult Fear On 'Adult Fear', the Texans' fourth album, Holy Wave continue doing what they do best; dreamy, foot-tapping psychedelia that makes you forget the world around you. Pure bliss!
96. Steve Hauschildt: Dissolvi A little more driven than his previous two albums; rolling arpeggios and beautiful simmering pads form together into a transportative and hypnotic journey.
97. Kristin Hersh: Possible Dust Clouds Brilliantly noisy fuzzed-out rock and simmering post-punk attitude mixed with motorik rhythms, hypnotic repetition and Hersh's vocals, twisted and delayed into oblivion.
98. Connan Mockasin: Jassbusters ‘Jassbusters' is Connan Mockasin’s third album and first in five years. An unclassifiable, unconventional album that neither picks up from nor abandons the modes of 2013’s widely-embraced 'Caramel' or its 2010 predecessor 'Forever Dolphin Love'.
99. Mass Gothic: I've Tortured You Enough Second album on the legendary Sub Pop label see the duo’s sunshiney choruses ride over a caustic soup of squalling guitars and melodic fuzz with thrilling effect.
100. DJ Koze: Knock Knock Featuring an enviable array of vocal contributions from the likes of Bon Iver, Roisin Murphy, and Kurt Wagner, DJ Koze has blended together soul, psyche-pop, techno and hip-hop to genius effect.
JAZZ
ICONS AT XMAS Thelonious Monk - Mønk
gearboxrecords.com
Binker and Moses - Alive in the East
Butcher Brown - Camden Session
The Top 20 Compilations: Compilation of the Year COMPILATION OF THE YEAR 2018
1
JD Twitch Presents
Kreaturen Der Nacht
Malaria! © Peter Gruchot
You can always count on Strut to tackle a subgenre with the requisite respect and expertise, and this year’s best compilation is no exception. Calling on the curatorial skills of Optimo selector JD Twitch, the label take us on an audio excursion into the monochrome manoeuvres and angular energy of Germany’s early 80s underground. ExKurs 1980 © Wolfgang Semmler
Mania D © 1980 Jutta Henglein
Like most of Europe, Germany limped into the 80s after a decade of economic turbulence, and optimism was in short supply on both sides of the Berlin Wall. But while their Southern neighbours fired up the sequencers, slapped on their chinos and jumped headfirst into the escapist paradise of Italodisco, Germany’s musical youth took punk spirit and newly-affordable electronics out of the art school, beyond the bedsit and into the national charts. Inspired by British punk, synth pop and new wave, the NDW (Neue Deutsche Welle) movement translated a typically Teutonic anti-establishment stance into some of the finest avant-garde pop you’re likely to hear. Fearless and experimental, the scene blazed with the creative energy of a truly DIY movement, embracing both innovative instrumentation and wild genre combinations to arrive at a truly new sound.
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Tracklist 1. Leben Und Arbeiten: Amanita 2. Malaria!: Your Turn To Run 3. Ausserhalb: Zeitzelle 4. Die Haut: Der Karibische Western 5. Aus Lauter Liebe: Pingelig 6. Mania D: Track 4 7. ExKurs: Fakten 8. Christiane F: Wunderbar (JD Twitch Edit)
9. Sprung Aus den Wolken: Dub Und Die 10. P1/E: Up and Above / Up and Above Dub 11. Franz Ermeier & Fritz Köstler: Öffnen Sie Mal Ihre Tasche 12. Populäre Mechanik: Scarfer Schnitt (No. 1) 13. Andreas Dorau: Fred Vom Jupiter 14. Weltklang: Veb Heimat 15. Stefan Blöser: Voyager One 16. Matthias Schuster: An Rah Robeel JD Twitch
Avoiding the Initial copies regional or come with an excl usive limite chronological d edition 8-pa ge fanzine approach, featuring ex tra photos, Twitch instead artwork and introduces us memorabili a. to sixteen of his favourite German post punk jams, road tested through mixtapes and DJ sets over the last 20 years. Flavours range from the surf-scuzz of Die Haut, skronking no wave of Mania D, dub funk of ExKurs, Sprung Aus Den Wolken and P1/E and electronic pop of Christiane F. and Weltklang; each boiling over as we’re thrust into the sweaty throng of one of Europe’s most influential scenes. In a year when plush clubs have given way to the cold concrete of the warehouse and dance music has rediscovered its serrated edge, I can’t think of a more fitting choice for number one compilation. Patrick
Over the years I’ve had many conversations with Quinton from Strut about trying to work on a project together and, when I mentioned I was working on an idea to do a German follow up to the ‘UK DIY’ compilation I released on Optimo Music, he asked if it was something I‘d like to do with Strut. It instantly felt like the right thing to do and, with the huge amount of effort Quinton has put into sourcing interviews with the artists and finding forgotten photos from that era, I think it has turned out to be the best package it could possibly be. I’ve long been a fan of German music from the late ‘70s / early ‘80s, initially in my teen years when I first discovered some of the records and then again more recently as the internet allowed me to dig a bit deeper. I get a particular kick from the idea that maybe a few Germans will discover some amazing music from their own country through the efforts of a guy from Scotland. JD Twitch
The Top 20 Compilations
2. We Out Here Millie: The trusty Brownswood label are to the rescue again, here to point out all the new music you should be listening to. ‘We Out Here’ is a collection of London’s blooming and ever-growing Jazz scene. The set perfectly captures the youthful buzz around recent styles, as the raw elements of traditional Jazz meet with swooning percussion. The contemporary style reaches back into its essential past and shines in a new era of up and coming artists.
3. Late Night Tales: Agnes Obel Barry: Here at Piccadilly we all love a bit of Agnes Obel’s electro-acoustic chamber pop, so the excitement around this edition of the Late Night Tales was especially high. Predictably Ms Obel lives up to our hype and takes us on a nocturnal journey through fragile folk, sombre country, psychedelic reggae and gorgeous choral cuts. “I was surprised at how much time I ended up spending on this. I collected all the songs together with my partner Alex and we just spent time listening to records, trying to see what would fit together. Some of the music I’ve included here is on mixtapes we made when we were just friends as teenagers. Each one of the tracks produces stories in my head.” Agnes Obel, February 2018.
4. Uneven Paths: Deviant Pop From Europe 1980-1991 Patrick: Previous Music From Memory releases have seen the imprint explore the esoteric fringe of electronica, Brazilian synth wave and art-school ambient with the same exhaustive research and inspired selections. Now the Dutch label turn their attention to the underappreciated talent at the heart of Europe’s outsider pop movement. There are too many tunes here to mention, and most are new to me, but I have to shout out Brenda & The Beachballs, Miko & Mubare and Violet Eves as favourites.
5. Club Meduse Compiled By Charles Bals Patrick: Bals by name, dogs bollocks by curatorial skill! Beachfreaks man Charles Bals puts together an excellent set of obscurities for the latest Spacetalk comp, delivering drifters, dreamers and dancers in suitably spangled style. Whether it’s low tempo Italo, hairspray synth pop, camp cosmic or goth glam, you’ll hear it all within the walls of Club Medusa, so slip off your skin suit and do the funny bones.
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6. Call Me By Your Name OST Darryl: The soundtrack to Italian director Luca Guadagnino’s romantic story of lovers Elio and Oliver featuring a surprisingly satisfying converging of classical music and 80s pop. Amidst the delicate and thoughtful intricacies of John Adams and Ryuichi Sakamoto and the almost anthemic Psychedelic Furs there’s also three tracks from Sufjan Stevens, including two new pieces that he wrote specifically for the film. Poignant and reflective they resonate with the true essence of the film.
7. Midnight In Tokyo Vol. 2 Patrick: Studio Mule treat us to the second instalment of their Midnight In Tokyo series, this time boasting the curatorial élan of Ondas man Dubby. The famed Japanese digger collects thirteen rare gems from the 80s underground, each expressing a different strand of Tokyo’s jazz fusion scene — mindbending, body moving magic.
8. J-Jazz: Deep Modern Jazz From Japan 1969-1984 Millie: BBE take the weight off your wallet here, shifting the focus from Japanese ambient to the nation’s most loved musical form — jazz. At least £64 billion cheaper than collecting each of these gems in their original form, J-Jazz sweeps through spiritual, modal, bop and free with a focus on total excellence.
9. Bob Stanley & Pete Wiggs Present Paris In The Spring Andy: Beautifully curated compilation by the esteemed St. Etienne duo Bob Stanley and Pete Wiggs, this (let’s be honest!) educates us all with its mercurial mix of French pop between 1968 and some time in the mid70’s. This is not the sound of Street Fighting Men (or indeed women!) but music still made under the shadow of that epochal 1968 uprising. The sleeve is mega, the music a delight.
10. DJ Kicks Forest Swords Martin: Forest Swords slashes his way into the DJ Kicks hot seat with a 25 track set which fuses field recordings, tribal techno, atmospheric electronica, bass weight and folk traditions into a rhythmic exploration of the esoteric.
The Top 10 Compilations
SOUNDTRACK PROVIDED BY
WE OUT HERE . J.D. TWITCH PRESENTS KREATUREN DER NACHT RUNNING THE VOODOO DOWN 2: EXPLORATIONS IN PSY CHROCKFUNKJAZZ FOREST SWORDS: DJ KICKS . AGNES OBEL: LATE NIGHT TALES J-JAZZ: DEEP MODERN JAZZ FROM JAPAN 1969-1984 BASEMENT BEEHIVE: THE GIRL GROUP UNDERGROUND TOO SLOW TO DISCO BRASIL: COMPILED BY ED MOTTA DISQUES DEBS INTERNATIONAL: VOLUME ONE THANKS TO PICCADILLY RECORDS FOR ALL THEIR SUPPORT IN 2018 SUPPORT INDEPENDENT LABELS AND INDEPENDENT RECORD SHOPS WWW.REPUBLICOFMUSIC.NET .
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11. Gumba Fire: Bubblegum Soul & Synth Boogie In 1980s South Africa Patrick: As we seem to have reached the end of the great Afro disco excavation (I joke, I hear a new banger every two weeks), things jump forward from the disco era to the time of boogie and proto house via this mega collection of bubble gum bangers selected by Soundway and Afrosynth boss DJ Okapi. Everything on here is excellent, but Condry Ziqubu’s “She’s Impossible” is way in demand, and this is your only chance to get it without breaking the bank.
12. Basement Beehive: The Girl Group Underground Darryl: Another excellent compilation from Chicago’s ever reliable Numero Group. Featuring 56 tracks on the double CD and 28 on double vinyl these obscure nuggets have been dug up from the 60s underground, the halcyon period of girl groups. Sister acts, studio receptionists, classmates, angelic voices of the 1960s; all expertly gathered together by the crate diggers at Numero.
13. Fabriclive 100: Kode9 & Burial Barry: It was always going to be a legendary musician that curated the 100th outing from the hugely influential Fabriclive series, and who better than the duo of Kode9 & Burial. We get brooding modern ambience, deep dubs and crackling, glacial beats akimbo over a ridiculous 40 tracks. If you only buy one Fabriclive (I assume for most of you, it’s too late for that), make it this one.
14. Martin Freeman & Eddie Piller Present: Jazz On The Corner Patrick: Tim from The Office joins forces with Acid Jazz man Eddie Piller to show us exactly what him and Dawn listen to on a night in. From the rolling hard bop of Lee Morgan and Art Blakey, via screaming soul and organ jazz funk then onwards to the postmodern spiritual jazz of Kamasi Washington, this is an incredible journey.
15. The Man From Mo’ Wax (Music From The Motion Picture) Sil: An unexpected nostalgia attack overtook me when listening to this comp. That DJ Krush ‘Kemuri’ track was and is a beast and the Zimbabwe Legit one is timeless. Let alone ‘Ravers Suck Our Sound and Get Fuck’ by the very understated La Funk Mob. You need this if you were there at the time and even more if you were not.
The Top 20 Compilations
16. Running Back Mastermix: ‘Front’ By Klaus Stockhausen & Boris Dlugosch Matt: History revealing Reissue / Compilation project centering around the legendary FRONT Club in Hamburg Germany that existed from the 80s–late 90s — a leading club in terms of music selection, mixing technique, rave culture — in a very important period of time.
17. Running The Voodoo Down Vol.2 Explorations In Psychrockfunksouljazz 1965-77 Patrick: Dean Rudland and Tony Harlow get their freak on with a mind expanding exploration of an explosive era in American music. Psychedelic soul, acid folk, cosmic jazz and swamp magic abound as the likes of John Coltrane, Isaac Hayes, Shuggie Otis and MC5 let loose.
18. Too Slow To Disco Brasil Compiled By Ed Motta Patrick: The Too Slow boat arrives on the Copacabana, only to be met by Ed Motta (the young nephew of Brazil’s legendary soul icon Tim Maia) and a killer collection of breezy Brazilian treats. MPB, boogie, funk and AOR flavours abound on the summery set.
19. Backstreet Brit Funk Vol.2 Compiled By Joey Negro Matt: We’ve had enough resurgences in disco, Italo and boogie thus far, but no-one’s really popped the lid off the whole Brit Funk cannon. Maestro Joey Negro can always be relied upon to present to us the first sift off the crop. Here showing us the dizzying delights of this very British operation... High energy, high musicianship — high vibe!
20. Disques Debs International Volume One Patrick: Strut stepped into summer in a big way here with the first in a series of compilations of great Guadeloupean music. Covering the prezouk era, this set is a mouthwatering punch bowl of Afro-Latin, big band and tropical jazz.
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The Top 10 Reissues/Collections: Reissue/Collection of the Year REISSUE/COLLECTION OF THE YEAR 2018
1
A Certain Ratio acr:set A Certain Ratio were born of the Manchester punk/post punk explosion of the late 70s, but while they took on the bleak aggression of the former and the spiky experimentation of the latter, they were rooted in another tradition. By the time their second single, the incredible opium funk dream of “Flight” was released in 1980 on Factory Records, it was obvious that the apparently unlikely union of brooding post punk with dub and funk rhythms was a marriage made in heaven — if heaven is the right word. “Set” follows their current set list (hence the title), pulling material from across their incredibly diverse career. It’s perhaps fitting that two thirds of the collection dates from 1979-1986, while they were signed to Factory, when they arguably produced their finest and most inventive material. If “Shack Up” added a mutant snarl to the Banbarra classic and “Flight” was eerie and sublime, “Knife Slits Water” was a signpost for their future direction, moving away from the paranoia and angst of their earlier sound and introducing a lighter and more loose limbed samba, jazz dance and tropical funk groove. The brighter feel was further cemented by “Wild Party”, a moody boogie blend incorporating street soul and electro which perfectly conjured it’s title, and the P-funk genius of “Mickey Way” which went on, appropriately enough, to become a Hacienda favourite.
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The move to A & M brought another diversion, into acid house euphoria, represented here by “Good Together”; this, and the silky, emotive pop of “Won’t Stop Loving You”, here remixed by Bernard Sumner, were both enhanced by the gorgeous vocal talents of Denise Johnson. There is new material here too, in the shape of “Dirty Boy” featuring Barry Adamson; but, even leaving aside the astonishing span and prolific nature of their output, what is truly amazing is that through all the extraordinary range of their sound they have always maintained a distinct and coherent identity. That takes real talent. Martin Tracklist Do The Du (Casse) (1979) Wild Party 12” Version (1985) Flight 12” Version (1980) And Then Again 12” Version (1980) Forced Laugh (1981) Wonder Y (1992) Mickey Way 12” Version (1986) 27 Forever 7” Version (1991) Won’t Stop Loving You Bernard Sumner Mix (1990) Good Together 12” Version (1990) Be What You Wanna Be 12” Version (1990) Shack Up 7” Version (1980) The Fox US 12” Version (1980) Knife Slits Water 7” Version (1982) Si Firmir O Grido (1986) Dirty Boy Extended Featuring Barry Adamson (2018) Make It Happen (2018)
“It is a little unfortunate that our career spanning compilation was released this year and not 2019 because next May is the 40th anniversary of our first release ‘All Night Party’. However, 39 years isn’t bad going in the big scheme of things. We were racking our brains trying to think of a title and track listing for this compilation because we have released some fantastic collections previously such as The Old and The New (Factory), Looking for A Certain Ratio (Creation) and Early (Soul Jazz). After giving it some thought we realised that our current live set would make an ideal compilation because we have done some of the best sell out gigs of our career this year and hence the title acr:set. What makes this different from previous compilations is that it includes tracks from our A&M and Robs Records albums which have never been re-released before. We have always been recognised for the early stuff we did on Factory but two of our best albums were released by A&M and Robs Records — ACR:MCR and Up in Downsville. It was a master stroke from Mute convincing us that we should put two new songs on the album as well, so that you get the full 39 years span. ‘Dirty Boy’ is a typical slice of A Certain Ratio pop funk and features the voice of Tony Wilson preparing us for ‘The Fox’ recording session in his own inimitable fashion, plus vocals from Barry Adamson, who returned a favour to us after we reworked his 2017’s ‘I Got Clothes’. You can see how we have gone through different styles though the 39 years starting with the Punk Funk of ‘Do The Du’ to the more ethereal jazzy moments of ‘Forced Laugh’, the Rare Groove feel of ‘Be What you Wanna Be’ and the Acid House tinged ‘Good Together’ ending with the most recent indescribable style of ‘Make it Happen’. The common thread is that we let the music do the talking and we try not to use our own clichés.” A Certain Ratio
The Top 10 Reissues/Collections
2. Pixies: Come On Pilgrim... It’s Surfer Rosa “I wish we could say that we had a massive plan, that we met a warlock telling us to do something,” says guitarist Joey Santiago. “But it’s not like that, it’s one accident after another. We just bumped into it. It was people playing with limitations — if I could speak for myself I was bound by my limitations. that’s what I had to offer at that time.” ‘Surfer Rosa’, celebrating its 30th anniversary this year with a re-issue and dedicated tour, was a dark, demented rock fission. Brimstone and bubblegum, it set the crepuscular tone and mood-swing dynamic of grunge but with a raw, savage energy that rose above, and stoked the engines of the broader spectrum of alternative rock for three decades and counting. ‘Surfer Rosa’ was one of those rare big bangs that not only launched a genre, it altered the fabric.
3. The Beta Band: The Three EPs 20th Anniversary Remaster Darryl: Released across three different formats; limited edition double vinyl, digipack CD, and a mouth drooling 4x12” slipcased deluxe edition, the totally unbeatable ‘Three EPs’ gets the 20th anniversary remaster make-over. Including tracks like the incredible “Dry The Rain” (famous for that scene in High Fidelity), the mesmerising “She’s The One”, and the hypnotic reverberations of “Inner Meet Me” amongst many other highlights. This sounds as fresh and inspiring as the day it was released.
4. Stereolab: Switched On Volumes 1-3 Darryl: Available as a triple 3CD set or as three individual vinyl LP’s, the ‘Switched On’ compilation series (originally issued between 1992 and 1988) showcases some of Stereolab’s finest moments. Perfect motorik drenched art-rock delivered via Moog synths, guitars and the ice cool French vox of Laetitia Sadier.
5. Sandra Kerr & John Faulkner: The Music From Bagpuss Darryl: Back in the early 1970s Sandra Kerr and John Faulkner were asked to write the songs and music for a TV series about a fluffy cat called Bagpuss. Exquisitely reissued by Earth Recordings the 32 tracks, made up of pure improvisation pieces, excerpts and traditional style songs, highlight the avant-garde genius of this folky collection. “An accidental classic of the folk-roots underground that we never dared hope we’d hear with such clarity.” Stewart Lee.
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6. Wire: Chairs Missing Martin: Their most varied album and possibly their finest hour (or so). Straddling the fire of punk and the colder, darker charms of brooding electronic post punk, it also contains within its grooves moments of melodic magic. Worth buying for the outrageously amazing “Outdoor Miner” on its own.
7. Hiroshi Sato: Orient Patrick: Another of those cult Japanese albums Ryan & I fell in love with a couple of years ago sees the light of Piccadilly day thanks to those fine folk at We Want Sounds. Featuring the mighty Haroumi Hosono, Sato’s ‘Orient’ is a gorgeous combination of breezy synth pop, Herbie-style funk and coastal coolers perfect for a summer’s afternoon.
8. David Axelrod: Song Of Innocence Patrick: Freak funk hero, expert arranger and production powerhouse David Axelrod flipped the script with this wigged out masterpiece, expanding our collective consciousness with an orchestral fusion of psych, jazz and funk. Heady shit.
9. David Sylvian & Holger Czukay: Plight & Premonition Flux & Mutability Patrick: Two superbly esoteric electronic recordings from the very late eighties get their first ever vinyl reissue thanks to those fine folks at GrÖnland. The work of musical auteurs David Sylvian and Holger Czukay, these four pieces offer a purity of sound, progressive approach to audio and immersive arrangement. Far out!
10. Oneness Of Juju: African Rhythms Patrick: Jeepers! Oneness of Juju’s Afrocentric jazz-funk great “African Rhythms” gets a nicely remastered, repackaged reissue from the fine folks at Strut. Quality stuff...
Jazz Chart
Jazz Chart
Millie: Well what a year it has been for jazz! After two decades of tireless effort from the likes of Gilles Peterson, Matthew Halsall and Mr Scruff, the ghost of The Fast Show’s Jazz Club has finally been laid to rest. Faced with a burgeoning Peckham scene, the recent rise of (new) Nu-jazz and a wealth of local talent, even our in-house heathens (Andy and Martin) have come to accept the fluid movement and free expression of the 20th century’s most powerful art form. No longer labelled “just tuning up” — (Martin on Miles, 1993) our well stocked jazz section has recently expanded to full capacity, and the staff unanimously called for a dedicated jazz chart.
Ezra Collective take our number one spot with their album ‘Juan Pablo: The Philosopher’ which marries classic sounds alongside Afrobeat and hip hop. It took us all by storm as soon as it hit our turntable, even prompting Dave to rise from his chair to see what was playing; a sure-fire sign of a superior record. Other high flyers are legendary sax guru Kamasi Washington, scene-defining compilation We Out Here, Manchester’s much loved Gogo Penguin and newcomer Toshio Matsuura Group who switched things up a bit with a variety of energetic interpretations. Under the unflinching leadership of Gilles Peterson, the Brownswood label excelled once again, as did Manchester’s Gondwana, whose trio of Gogo Penguin, Allysha Joy and Mammal Hands showcased the diversity and quality of the class of 2018. A big thank you to all the artists who have contributed to sound-tracking our jazzy year, may it long continue!
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1. Ezra Collective: Juan Pablo: The Philosopher
11. Joe Armon-Jones: Starting Today
2. Kamasi Washington: Heaven & Earth
12. Abstract Orchestra: Madvillain, Vol. 1
3. Various Artists: We Out Here
13. Nubya Garcia: Nubya’s 5ive
4. Gogo Penguin: A Humdrum Star
14. Sons of Kemet: Your Queen Is A Reptile
5. Toshio Matsuura Group: Loveplaydance — 8 Scenes From The Floor
15. Various Artists: Midnight in Tokyo Vol. 2
6. Kamaal Williams: The Return
16. Various Artists: J-Jazz: Deep Modern Jazz From Japan 1969-1984
7. Allysha Joy: Acadie: RAW
8. Binker and Moses: Alive In The East?
9. Moses Boyd: Displaced Diaspora
10. Alfa Mist: Antiphon
17. Onyx Collective: Lower East Street Part Three 18. GURLS: Run Boy Run
19. Mabuta: Welcome To This World
20. Mammal Hands: Shadow Work
Jazz Chart
Mute.com #MuteFourPointZero
GOLDFRAPP SILVER EYE - DELUXE EDITION
DANIEL BLUMBERG MINUS
Includes ‘Ocean’ feat. Dave Gahan, ‘Anymore’ & ‘Systemagic’ + bonus disc of remixes
Features ‘Minus’ & ’The Bomb’. “Remarkable… A modern classic” HHHHH THE TIMES
CHRIS CARTER CHEMISTRY LESSONS VOL 1
JOSH T. PEARSON THE STRAIGHT HITS
First solo album in 17 years from Throbbing Gristle founder. Also available ‘Miscellany’ catalogue box set including unreleased material
3 chords & the truth. The new long player from JTP Includes ‘Straight At Me’ & ‘ A Love Song (You Set Me Straight)’
CHRIS LIEBING BURN SLOW
LAIBACH THE SOUND OF MUSIC
A minimalist electronic epic. Features vocal contributions from Gary Numan, Polly Scattergood, Aleen, Cold Cave & Miles Cooper Seaton
Songs that have been sung for a thousand years, like you’ve never heard them before
LIARS TITLES WITH THE WORD FOUNTAIN
BARRY ADAMSON MEMENTO MORI (ANTHOLOGY 1978-2018)
TFCF the sequel. 40 minutes of new music plus original TFCF album. Also available 1/1 Liars first original soundtrack
A 40th anniversary release charting Barry’s writing & recording career. Includes Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds + Magazine plus all the solo hits.
A CERTAIN RATIO ACR:SET
SHADOWPARTY SHADOWPARTY
A career spanning compilation. Includes ‘Shack Up’, ’Do The Du’ and new single ‘Dirty Boy’ feat. Barry Adamson
Debut album from Tom Chapman & Phil Cunningham (New Order), Josh Hager & Jeff Friedl (Devo) + special guests Denise Johnson (ACR, Primal Scream), Nick McCabe (The Verve)
ERASURE WORLD BE LIVE
MICK HARVEY & C R BARKER FALL & RISE OF EDGAR BOURCHIER & THE HORRORS OF WAR
A brand new live album. Includes ‘A Little Respect’, ‘Love You To The Sky’, ‘Sometimes’ & many more. Also available World Beyond & World Be Gone
A brand new concept album examining the work of a long forgotten World War I poet, Edgar Bourchier, through his poetry as put to music
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Reggae / Dub Chart Matt: A staple in the shop since time immemorial, 2018 nonetheless saw rejuvenated interest in JA’s no. 1 export, with a quality spread of reissues from camps like Dub Store Japan, Jam Wax and Ariwa Sounds. Emergent, popular new artists Protoje and Chronixx ditched the stereotypes of old, brushing the mainstream with a new brand of politically informed & conscious reggae. Contemporary scenes like digi-dub finally shared some of the spotlight and kept heads with a penchant for electronic and experimental production swathed in dread and ganja smoke throughout the year (see: Strategy & Andy Rantzen LPs featured here). Elsewhere, Jallanzo offered up one of the most radio-friendly and infectious modern reggae releases via his elusive yet killer, four track EP (still in stock if you’re lucky folks...!) whilst traditional dub fans across the globe celebrated in the triumphant return of “Concrete Jungle”, one of the most eagerly awaited re-issues of the decade. 2019 will no doubt reveal new treasures of the genre (my money’s on 8-bit reggae and lover’s rock) and, of course, the gigantium legacy of dub continues to make its presence felt as more and more dancefloor-orientated artists look to the echo chamber for ideas and inspiration. Jah!
1. King Tubby: Concrete Jungle Dub (Featuring Riley All Stars) 2. Lee Scratch Perry WIth Mad Professor: Mystic Warrior In Dub 3. Andy Rantzen: Blue Hour Vol. II
4. Strategy: Dub Mind Paradigm
5. Jallanzo: EP
6. Joe Gibbs & The Professionals: African Dub Chapters 1-5 7. Various Artists: Linval Thompson Presents Dub Landing Vol. 1 & 2 8. Protoje: A Matter Of Time
9. Ital Foundation: Volume 1
10. Sister Audrey: English Girl
Jazz Chart
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Balearic Chart Patrick: As temperatures soared, Harry Kane scored and LCD Soundsystem toured, we enjoyed a blistering summer aboard the good ship Piccadilly, soundtracked perfectly by a bumper crop of Balearic scorchers and ambient bathers. Topping our horizontal pops this year is the gorgeous ‘By Your Side’ from legendary Japanese producer Calm. Pushing on from last year’s sublime CitiZen Of Peace remix, Calm landed on Hell Yeah! to soothe our cares with the delicate melodies and infectious grooves of an instant classic. He’s joined in this year’s Balearic chart by countryman Cornelius, whose glitch ridden downbeat opus ‘Mellow Waves’ boasted the chill out track of the year “If You’re Here”. As usual our Scandinavian friends had an excellent year, balancing the monochrome menace of their TV exports with sonic smiles from Prins Emanuel on Music For Dreams and a sweet set of kosmische jazz from Bugge Wesseltoft & Prins Thomas on Smalltown Supersound. Further south, the French Connection showed suitable Gallic flair as Antoine Kogut channelled Gainsbourg for Versatile, Antinote gave us a Domenique Dumont LP and Parisian wunderkind Shelter joined the esteemed Growing Bin roster with an aquatic tribute to Library music (snorkel tackle if ever I’ve heard it). Stepping up to rival Dusseldorf (and MCR) for most fertile scene, Naples brought us Balearic boogie and cosmic disco all year long, represented here by retro-futurists Nu Guinea and their sizzling ‘Nuova Napoli’. Back in blighty, we wondered at the classy library folk of jazzy duo Hampshire and Foat, and got down to the gorgeous groove of Earthboogie on Leng, a Saturday fixture in Piccadilly thanks to new signing Emily. This is our pick of the crop, but in a vintage year there were way too many winners to mention, so peruse the shelves and catch a wave.
1. Calm: By Your Side
2. Prins Emanuel: Diagonal Musik
3. Shelter: Profondeur 4000
4. Domenique Dumont: Miniatures De Auto Rhythm 5. Antoine Kogut: Sphere Of Existence
6. Bugge Wesseltoft & Prins Thomas: Bugge Wesseltoft & Prins Thomas 7. Nu Guinea: Nuova Napoli
8. Cornelius: Mellow Waves
9. Hampshire & Foat: Nightshade
10. Earthboogie: Human Call
Jazz Chart
Y O U N G FAT H E R S COCOA SUGAR
MARIE DAVIDSON WORKING CLASS WOMAN
LEON VYNEHALL NOTHING IS STILL
HELENA HAUFF QUALM
LITTLE DRAGON LOVER CHANTING EP
ONYX COLLECTIVE LOWER EAST SUITE PART THREE (BIG DADA)
order online at piccadillyrecords.com
Dancefloor Round-up Matt: 2018, like most years, was a great year for dance music — if you knew where to look. Avoiding the hype machine can be hard, so a peruse through our humble racks (as well as a chat with one our staff!) can be a great place to start. The shamanic flames that flickered gently last year grew into a raging inferno, with Major Problems releasing the esoteric opus by Garies, Dusseldorf’s Aiwo giving us the entheogenic Phaserboys’ EP and a whole host of new labels looking to the rainforests for inspiration — prompting us to kick off a brand new section! New EBM, marked with punkish references, a tribal mindset and a slow, sluggish tempo was the other major force in the underground this year. Think DJs like Jon K, Vladimir Ivkovic and Nosedrip and you’ll eventually run into labels like Stroom, Outer Reaches and Mannequin. Jungle returned to our bass section in a big way, with the Myor Massive camp headed by Coco Bryce the year’s strongest team. An Il Bosco-centric Boiler Room set the rave resurgence off, Gerd’s subtle molestation of the ‘92 anthem “Don’t Go” possibly the zenith, while old skool electro stylings also got re-hashed and re-released with Manc label Natural Sciences one of the main exponents.
1. Phaserboys: Phaserboys EP (Aiwo) 2 Ste Spandex: Home Extraction EP (Cerberus Future Technologies) 3. Begin: Love International Recordings 001 (Love International Recordings) 4. Andi Hanley: Magic Wand Special Editions Vol. 2 (Magic Wand) 5. Palta & Ti: Palta Og Ti På Den Tolvte Ø (12th Isle) 6. Stark: Calm Before Storm (Ourtime Music) 7. Talking Drums: Vol. 2 (Talking Drums) 8. DJ Koze: Pick Up (Pampa) 9. Adelphi Music Factory: Javelin (Adelphi Music Factory) 10. John Shima: Stealth EP (DMK) 11. Cromby: Futurola EP (Sulta Selects Silver Service) 12. Various Artists: We We We: Inc. Pional / Juan Maclean / Force Majeure / Edmondson (Me Me Me) 13. Melly: The Beds (Major Problems) 14. Wino D: Wino D (Wah Wah Wino)
Across the house and techno stables there was still plenty of fun to be had. DJ Koze and Gerd took the focus away from the US while Bristol’s Banoffee Pies continued to be one cool AF label from our own shores. Further afield, Melbourne-based Ken Oath’s coastal serenity and electronic frivolity stole the crown of paradise music.
15. River Yarra: #Lucky #Boy (Antinote)
Maddest release of the year, for me anyway, was the DJ Dave Goblin CD — “Ork Muzik”. The marmite that it is, we’ll probably still have copies left when you read this, as I thought everyone was gonna love it. I still stand by its credentials and am just waiting for everyone else to catch up... see you at the front!
19. Madlaks / Hot Slot Machine: Dance Forever: Young Marco Reworks (Safe Trip)
16. Pablo’s Eye: Bardo For Pablo (Stroom) 17. Space Garage: Space Garage (Periodica) 18. Roza Terenzi & DJ Zozi: PE01 (Planet Euphorique)
20. Unknown Artist: Noah (Mask)
Staff Charts
Staff Charts
1. TVAM: Psychic Data
Darryl
4. Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever: Hope Downs
2018, what a whirlwind of a year it’s been! Our busiest RSD ever nearly brought me to my knees, the logistical planning seems to get more intense every year — I have a developed a rather strange but deep dislike for beautiful thick spined deluxe sleeves (how the hell are they all going to fit in the storage shelves!!!) But of course it’s all worth it in the end once you see it coming together so well on the day itself. Thanks as always to you all for being so patient in the queue!
5. Low: Double Negative
Later in the year the launch of the Dinked collective of shops provided a much need morale boost to us and other like minded shops after a rather quiet (World Cup affected) Summer in retail. They’ll be plenty of juicy exclusives next year too folks so keep an eye out on social media for more exciting announcements. Back to new releases this year, and top of the pile for me was the debut from TVAM, a superb mix of throbbing electronics and melodies; think Suicide mixed with Spiritualized.
13. Gulp: All Good Wishes
And finally, a shout out goes to the wife Lety. Hi babe!!
2. LUMP: LUMP 3. Baxter Dury, Étienne De Crécy, Delilah Holliday: B.E.D
6. Yo La Tengo: There’s A Riot Going On 7. Tess Parks & Anton Newcombe: Tess Parks & Anton Newcombe 8. Parquet Courts: Wide Awake! 9. Beak>: >>> 10. Phil France: Circle 11. Spiritualized: And Nothing Hurt 12. Mogwai: KIN 14. Boy Azooga: 1, 2, Kung Fu! 15. Les Big Byrd: Iran Iraq IKEA 16. Cavern Of Anti-Matter: Hormone Lemonade 17. Anne St. Louis: If Only There Was A River 18. Tim Burgess: As I Was Now 19. Nils Frahm: All Melody 20. Halo Maud: Je Suis Une Île
Patrick
1. Kadhja Bonet: Childqueen
Successfully downing DIY tools for the majority of 2018, I was able to turn my attention to musical matters, namely the release of my first record! Obviously I didn’t do this alone, and this year’s biggest shouts go out to the rest of the Talking Drums crew. Keep your ears peeled for more drum fun in the months to come.
3. Wolf Muller & Niklas Wandt: Instrumentalmusik Von Der Mitter Der World
Perhaps boosted by a little extra attention I was lucky enough to take my record box on the road this year, first to Berlin for a couple of parties with my favourite Naturist Arnaldo, and then to Italy for a late summer sojourn with the mighty Marco peeDoo from Hell Yeah. Both trips were …a trip… and I’m eternally grateful for the hospitality I received on the road. Closer to home, my Balearic buddies at Aficionado celebrated 20 years in the game, and remain the finest selectors around. 2018 was also the year I attained ultimate job satisfaction, spending three hours of a summer shift pulling out records for my musical hero James Murphy from LCD Soundsystem. Not only was he entertaining, informative and funny AF, he was actually really, really nice. Peace out people!
2. Eleventeen Eston: At The Water
4. MGMT: Little Dark Age 5. Prins Emanuel: Diagonal Musik 6. Cornelius: Mellow Waves 7. Blood Orange: Negro Swan 8. Antoine Kogut: Sphere Of Existence 9. Nu Guinea: Nuova Napoli 10. Children Of Zeus: Travel Light 11. Altin Gun: On 12. TVAM: Psychic Data 13. Shelter: Profondeur 4000 14. Calm: By Your Side 15. Whodamanny: T.C.P. 16. Beak>: >>> 17. Videotapemusic: Souvenir 18. Soundvoyage: En Route To Thailand 19. Yadava: It Rains Here 20. Tirzah: Devotion
20 18
CONNECTING CREATORS WITH CONSUMERS
WWW.PROPERMUSICGROUP.COM
proper
Staff Charts
Laura
1. Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever: Hope Downs
So, Rolling Blackouts get my No.1 spot for the 2nd year running. I didn’t think they could better The French Press, but they proved me wrong. The Ezra Collective’s jazz filtered through afrobeat, funk and hip hop has been another big favourite. The Orielles debut was a breath of fresh air at the start of the year and Phil France won me over with an amazing in store performance of his Circle album. Other highlights include Tim Burgess’ long awaited (10 years!) solo album, Les Big Byrd’s psych-infused gems, Wild Nothing’s sublime pop, Moaning’s shoegazey melodies, and Courtney Barnett’s brilliant songwriting. The (punk) funk infused grooves of ACR have always made me want to dance and still do. No Age, Parquet Courts and Shame all head off in a slightly noisier direction, while TVAM bring the noise with a heavy dose of electronics. Beak> cover a whole spectrum of synth heavy genres from pseudo-soundtracks to krautrock workouts and on a jazz tip, Toshio Matsuura and Mammal Hands, do it for me. Mattiel’s 60s pop and Durand Jones sweet soul draw brilliantly on the past, and Prins Emanuel’s gorgeous guitar workouts provided the perfect soundtrack to the end of a long hot summer.
2. Ezra Collective: Juan Pablo: The Philosopher
Dave
1. LUMP: LUMP
2018 then? Musically, I’ve been entranced by LUMP, spent an entire week watching the sun rise and set over a whitewashed, Spanish village listening to Phil France and jumped around the living room like a hyperactive teenager to The Beths.
3. Leon Vynehall: Nothing Is Still
Both LCD Soundsystem and War On Drugs were brilliant at the Apollo and I’m very much looking forward to seeing the aforementioned Beths somewhere much smaller in a few weeks. Work wise 2018 saw me drop down to part time hours here at Piccadilly and officially retire from djing (for the third and surely, last time). How will I be spending my twilight years I’m sure you’re wondering? Well, I spend a lot of time at my allotment and the rest weeping, wailing and gnashing my teeth in front of a computer, not entirely unlike being IN work then, ba dum... On a sadder note my cat of twenty years, Neptune died in the summer which was a sad, sad day. She was the same age as Cornershop’s ‘Brimful Of Asha’ , Cher’s ‘Believe’ and All Saints ‘ Never Ever’ though obviously, we won’t hold that against her.
3. The Orielles: Silver Dollar Moment 4. Phil France: Circle 5. Beak>: >>> 6. Tim Burgess: As I Was Now 7. Les Big Byrd: Iran Iraq IKEA 8. Shame: Songs Of Praise 9. Moaning: Moaning 10. Courtney Barnett: Tell Me How You Really Feel 11. No Age: Snares Like A Haircut 12. TVAM: Psychic Data 13. Parquet Courts: Wide Awake! 14. Wild Nothing: Indigo 15. Mattiel: Mattiel 16. Toshio Matsuura Group: Loveplaydance — 8 Scenes From The Floor 17. Mammal Hands: Animalia 18. Durand Jones & the Indications: Durand Jones & the Indications 19. A Certain Ratio: Acr:set 20. Prins Emanuel: Diagonal Musik
2. Khruangbin: Con Todo Del Mundo 4. Natalie Prass: The Future And The Past 5. Phil France: Circle 6. Mildlife: Phase 7. Spiritualized: And Nothing Hurt 8. Janelle Monae: Dirty Computer 9. White Denim: Performance 10. The Beths: Future Me Hates Me 11. D.A.L.I.: When Haro Met Sally 12. Children Of Zeus: Travel Light 13. Gwenno: Le Kov 14. Fatima: And Yet It’s All Love 15. Prins Emanuel: Diagonal Musik 16. Eleventeen Eston: At The Water 17. Gillian Welch: Soul Journey 18. Courtney Barnett: Tell Me How You Really Feel 19. Sleepy’s Theme: The Vinyl Room 20. Advisory Circle: Ways Of Seeing
ACID JAZZ 2018
Staff Charts
Millie
1. Allysha Joy: Acadie : RAW
This is the year I turned into a fully-fledged jazz fanatic, something I never thought I’d ever say but it happened! I think the Brownswood label was the gateway and it escalated from there as the ‘We Out Here’ compilation released this year really stood out for a lot of us in the shop. My number one was an easy decision, Allysha Joy’s release on Gondwana was exactly what I was missing from this year’s spread — it’s the perfect balance of Jazz and R&B, it’s refreshingly original and I absolutely love it. Not to mention the Kadhja Bonet, Fatima and Blood Orange, which all showed up towards the end of the year and have pleased me no end. A good year for all my favourites! Onto my news, me and my boyfriend Forbes have just started a residency playing records at Manchester’s new hotspot YES every other Thursday in the bar. We basically just play most of the albums from my end of year chart, along with lots of Hip Hop, Jazz and R&B. And that’s about it! Onto the next year (they’re flying around faster than I can keep track of!)
3. Blood Orange: Negro Swan
2. Kadhja Bonet: Childqueen 4. Fatima: And Yet It’s All Love 5. A bstract Orchestra: Madvillain, Vol. 1 6. Ezra Collective: Juan Pablo: The Philosopher 7. Princess Nokia: A Girl Cried Red 8. Children of Zeus: Travel Light 9. GURLS: Run Boy Run 10. Lucy Dacus: Historian 11. Kamasi Washington: Heaven & Earth 12. Toshio Matsuura Group: Loveplaydance 13. Moses Boyd: Displaced Diaspora 14. V/A: We Out Here 15. Kamaal Williams: The Return 16. Alfa Mist: Antiphon 17. Gogo Penguin: A Humdrum Star 18. Mabuta: Welcome To This World 19. Nubya Garcia: Nubya’s 5ive 20. Phil France: Circle
Mine
1. Holy Motors: Slow Sundown
I thought that writing my end of year staff intro the third time around might come a bit easier to me but who was I kidding, I’m still not very good at talking about myself (or anything really!). My biggest achievement this year (besides turning 30, if you can call that an achievement) was probably finishing my degree so I could finally focus on selling records 24/7. Well, not quite, I’ve also started giving some of my time to a cat shelter, which means I am now either surrounded by records, or cats. Could it possibly get any better you ask? Well, if two of your favourite things in the world are records and cats then, no. Not really.
3. Altin Gun: On
But enough about myself… I hope 2018 has been a good year for you (musically and otherwise) and you can find some new gems in our end of year charts. Swipe… err, look right for some records I have been enjoying this year! See you all very soon x
14. Wild Nothing: Indigo
2. Beach House: 7 4. Holy Wave: Adult Fear 5. Kikagaku Moyo: Masana Temples 6. Exploded View: Obey 7. Amen Dunes: Freedom 8. MIEN: MIEN 9. Still Corners: Slow Air 10. The Limiñanas: Shadow People 11. Holydrug Couple: Hyper Super Mega 12. BEAK>: >>> 13. Halo Maud: Je Suis Une Île 15. The Bleachés: Easter Island 16. Kurt Vile: Bottle It In 17. Tess Parks & Anton Newcombe: Tess Parks & Anton Newcombe 18. Nest Egg: Nothingness Is Not A Curse 19. La Luz: Floating Features 20. Wooden Shjips: V.
Staff Charts
Martin 2018. Perhaps not the easiest of years I’ve spent on the planet. But...! Two trips to Barcelona were notable for wonderful company and the best veggie burger I have eaten anywhere. The second visit bookended four eventful days in punky Bilbao, set in the beautiful and completely unique Basque Country. The language and culture are fascinating, a remnant of an ancient European past completely unrelated to any other, but the greatest treasure to be found anywhere is always human. I left a piece of my heart in a little vegan coffee shop there, where I spent many a happy hour immersed in the warmth of caffeine, gorgeous cakes and the kindest staff I’ve ever had the pleasure to meet. Many thanks and much love to anyone whose music brought me pleasure through the year, to Nick Mulvey for a typically warm and wonderful performance at the Albert Hall, to everyone who has been so kind to me over the last twelve months, the very lovely folks I work with, and every single one of the people who stepped through the door of Piccadilly Records.
1. MGMT: Little Dark Age 2. Mass Gothic: I’ve Tortured You Long Enough 3. Halo Maud: Je Suis Une Ile 4. LUMP: LUMP 5. Low: Double Negative 6. Advisory Circle: Ways Of Seeing 7. Beak>: >>> 8. Helios: Veradiats 9. Phil France: Circle 10. Gazelle Twin: Pastoral 11. Idles: Joy As An Act Of Resistance 12. Insecure Men: Insecure Men 13. Boy Azooga: 1,2 Kung Fu! 14. Eleventeen Eston: At The Water 15. Miss Red: K.O. 16. Olafur Arnalds: Re:member 17. Gulp: All Good Wishes 18. Sauna Youth: Deaths 19. Hampshire & Foat: Nightshade 20. Nils Frahm: All Melody
And everyone who didn’t! Hope to see you all soon xxx
Barry
1. The Advisory Circle: Ways Of Seeing
It’s not like you haven’t heard enough of me ranting on about new releases every week, sharing irreverent curios and off-kilter anecdotes to your very personal inboxes, but here we go again.
2. D.A.L.I: When Haro Met Sally
It’s been a busy old year, with lots of the best LPs I’ve heard for a long time being released. It seems like every year that I say I’ve thoroughly enjoyed a release by Jon Brooks, but here we go again with the Advisory Circle taking my top spot, closely followed by the sadly hen’steethy ‘When Haro Met Sally’. There have been a number of surprise hits too, with Keith Keniff taking not one but TWO spots, with two different aliases! As well as the obviously exciting musical delights, by the time you read this I will be decidedly married, making a good, wholesome home for our cat and fish. Exciting times for me, and a great year all round. See you all soon! xx
3. Helios: Veridiats 4. Steve Hauschildt: Dissolvi 5. Olafur Arnalds: Re:Member 6. Forma: Semblance 7. Courtney Barnett: Tell Me How You Really Feel 8. Mogwai: Kin 9. Christine And The Queens: Chris 10. Jessica Moss: Entanglement 11. Ryley Walker: Deafman Glance 12. Leon Vynehall: Nothing Is Still 13. Haiku Salut: There Is No Elsewhere 14. Dialectric: Phase 15. Oneohtrix Point Never: Age Of 16. Grouper: Grid Of Points 17. Goldmund: Occasus 18. Janelle Monae: Dirty Computer 19. Phil France: Circle 20. Tim Hecker: Konoyo
ALBUMS OF THE YEAR 2018
LOVELY EGGS
GWENIFER RAYMOND
HATER
YOU NEVER WERE MUCH OF A DANCER
FIRE RECORDS LP / CD
PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS
FACTORY FLOOR
VIRGINIA WING
ROCKET RECORDINGS LP / CD
HEART OF DATA LP / CD
GOATMAN
HOLLIE COOK
ROCKET RECORDINGS LP
MERGE RECORDS LP / CD
THIS IS EGGLAND
EGG RECORDS LP / CD
KING OF COWARDS
RHYTHMS
TOMPKINS SQUARE LP / CD
SOUNDTRACK FOR A FILM
VESSEL OF LOVE
SIESTA
ECSTATIC ARROW
FIRE RECORDS LP / CD
TESS PARKS & ANTON NEWCOMBE TESS PARKS & ANTON NEWCOMBE
‘A’ RECORDINGS LP / CD
STILL CORNERS
GAZELLE TWIN
THE CHILLS
WRECKING LIGHT LP / CD
ANTIGHOST MOONRAY LP / CD
FIRE RECORDS LP / CD
SLOW AIR
PASTORAL
www.cargorecords.co.uk
SNOW BOUND
Staff Charts
Silvestre
1. Altin Gun: On
Musically speaking, my 2018 choice of ‘album of the year’ goes to the almighty Altin Gun. Goosebumps guaranteed everytime I play ‘Cemalim’ out, my favourite track. The energy, vitality and originality that this song radiates is incomparable. Without a doubt the song of the year by a mile.
3. Eleventeen Eston: At the Water
On a different note, space exploration does not stop. I am personally very excited about the landing (fingers crossed it happens as it should) of the robotic lander InSight on Mars this November 26th, 2018. It should take about seven minutes since entering atmosphere and in order to avoid creating yet another crater on the red planet, it will deploy a combo of parachutes to slow itself right down. Remember, Mars has an extremely thin atmosphere so it will not be able to reduce speed and cushion the blow if those parachutes do not work. It will stay on Mars for about two years fully dedicated to studying the planet’s deep interior — read that as seismic activity research.
2. Grouper: Grid of Points 4. Mr Fingers: Cerebral Hemispheres 5. Shelter: Profondeur 3000 6. LUMP: LUMP 7. B ugge Wesseltoft & Prins Thomas: Bugge Wesseltoft & Prins Thomas 8. Creep Show: Mr Dynamite 9. DJ Koze: Pick Up 10. Drinks: Hippo Lite 11. Eleanor Friedberger: Rebound 12. Gogo Penguin: A Hundram Star 13. The Advisory Circle: Ways of Seeing 14. Rezzett: Rezzett LP 15. Dr. Octagon: An Exploration Into Modern Day Horripilation 16. Hampshire and Foat: Nightshade 17. Daniel Avery: Song for Alpha 18. Fluxion: Ripple Effect 19. Amen Dunes: Freedom
x
20. Gulp: All Good Wishes
Emily
1. Kadhja Bonet: Childqueen
In May I moved to Manchester on an impulse and by some stroke of luck I managed to land a job in Piccadilly the following month. My days behind the counter don’t really feel like work — I’m always surrounded by lovely workmates and great music. The rest of my time in Manchester has been spent making music, growing vegetables and working in a lovely bohemian café. Having developed more of a taste for ambient sounds this year, I found the underwater vibes of Shelter’s ‘Profondeur 4000’ particularly pleasing. I also couldn’t resist some jazz fusion from Japan (‘Midnight in Tokyo Vol. 2’) and space disco from Norway (‘Byen’). But nothing has blown me away more than Kadhja Bonet’s ‘Childqueen’, an otherworldly album that effortlessly joins the dots between psychedelic soul, funk, folk and baroque pop. Kadhja wrote, mixed and produced the entire album herself — an inspiration for me as I slowly try to get my head around music production. I’m expecting a fruitful 2019!
2. Various Artists: Midnight in Tokyo Vol. 2 3. Bjørn Torske: Byen 4. Shelter: Profondeur 4000 5. Khruangbin: Con Todo El Mundo 6. Altın Gün: On 7. Nu Guinea: Nuova Napoli 8. Wendell Harrison & Phil Ranelin: A Message From The Tribe 9. Gboyega Adelaja: Colourful Environment 10. Earthboogie: Human Call 11. Unknown Mortal Orchestra: Sex and Food 12. Whodamanny: T.C.P. 13. Oneness of Juju: African Rhythms 14. Leon Vynehall: Nothing Is Still 15. Nils Frahm: All Melody 16. Digable Planets: Reachin’ (A New Refutation Of Time And Space) 17. Alfa Mist: Antiphon 18. Various Artists: We Out Here 19. Toshio Matsuura Group: LOVEPLAYDANCE — 8 Scenes From The Floor 20. Rejoicer: Energy Dreams
The Best of 2018 Mansun
TesseracT
Anathema
White Moth Black Butterfly
Nosound
Iamthemorning The Pineapple Ocean Sounds Thief
Gazpacho
Lunatic Soul
Attack of the Grey Lantern
Sonder
Allow Yourself
Atone (expanded)
Soyuz
Internal Landscapes: 2008-2018
Blackfield Open Mind: The Best of
Dissolution
Fractured & Under the Fragmented Sky
kscopemusic.com
Gleb Kolyadin Gleb Kolyadin
Tangerine Dream
Quantum Gate
@kscopemusic
Staff Charts
Andy Hi everyone! Weird, heavy times. Is it wrong to live in a music bubble? Jury still out on that, so here we go… Two ancient “indie” bands occupy my top spots for 2018. Don’t ask why, I’ve really no idea! But isn’t it ace when that happens? A door opened, now I have tonnes more music to get into. Same with Eleanor Friedberger and MGMT: I never cared for either before but Eleanor’s off-kilter, wonky pop and MGMT’s freed-up hook-heavy genius both destroyed me this year. You’ll probably know most of my chart. I’ve always been like that with music, but please don’t mistake any obviousness for casualness. I absolutely adore these records! They’re all full of pop melodies (apart from KV, but he brings something entirely different!) and loads of personality, just different takes on the classic song-writing theme. Things stay pretty simple with me. There are eleven artists I’ve never picked before; proof this great music just keeps on coming. All the best!
1. White Denim: Performance 2. Okkervil River: In The Rainbow Rain 3. MGMT: Little Dark Age 4. Whyte Horses: Empty Words 5. Eleanor Friedberger: Rebound 6. Boy Azooga: 1, 2, Kung Fu 7. Orielles: Silver Dollar Moment 8. Halo Maud: Je Suis Une Isle 9. John Grant: Love Is Magic 10. King Tuff: The Other 11. Johnny Marr: Call the Comet 12. Hatchie: Sugar and Spice 13. Jonathan Wilson: Rare Birds 14. Kurt Vile: Bottle It In 15. Insecure Men: Insecure Men 16. Eleventeen Eston: At The Water 17. Laura Veirs: The Lookout 18. Michael Nau: Michael Nau and the Mighty Thread 19. Damien Jurado: The Horizon Just Laughed 20. Cullen Omori: The Diet
Matt
1. Sonic Insomniac: Unconditional
A strong year once again for local music with three homegrown full lengths all hitting my chart. Big ups to newcomer Fumu especially for finally getting out of the starting blocks — what a debut mate! NTS Radio MCR continued to nurture and display a wealth of weird and wonderful talent from the area and I feel honoured to be a part of the roster there — do check out the show — Kickin’ Pigeon’s Galactic Bounce. Also while I’m plugging things, the great annual tradition of Wet Play & Microdosing’s New Year’s DAY soiree has been green lighted and will be taking place in epic form once again so keep yer eyes peeled for tickets.
3. Yadava: It Rains Here
Investment, more specifically HOUSING came to the city, big style this year (you’ve seen those two towers at bottom of Deansgate right...?). Who knows what the changing face of Manchester will bring. There’s more people, more bars (not clubs — boo!) and more money, so let’s hope there’s more buzz! It’s certainly a different city than when I first moved here fourteen years ago (obviously)...but I say, bring it on!
11. Low Flung: Blow Waves
2. Fumu: Sinuate 4. Proc Fiskal: Insular 5. Riccardo Schirò: Dunas 6. Hieroglyphic Being: The Language Of Strings 7. Various Artists: Running Back Mastermix : ‘Front’ By Klaus Stockhausen & Boris Dlugosch 8. DJ Fett Burger / Stiletti Ana: 358 Men 9. Andy Rantzen: Blue Hour Vol. II 10. Apollo Brown & Locksmith: No Question 12. Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever: Hope Downs 13. Action Bronson & Statik Selektah: Well Done 14. Strategy: Dub Mind Paradigm 15. Kaoru Inoue: Em Paz 16. RAMZi: Phobiza “Amor Fati” Vol. 3 17. Kilchhofer: The Book Room 18. Steve Legget: Bathhouse 19. DJ David Goblin: Ork Muzik 20. Morris Mobley: Movin’ On
GABE GURNSEY PHYSICAL Phantasy Sound
EDITORS VIOLENCE [PIAS] Recordings
UNKNOWN MORTAL ORCHESTRA SEX & FOOD Jagjaguwar
JOAN AS POLICE WOMAN DAMNED DEVOTION [PIAS] Recordings
EELS THE DECONSTRUCTION Eworks
SUDAN ARCHIVES SINK Stones Throw
KODE9 & BURIAL FABRICLIVE 100 : KODE 9 & BURIAL Fabric Records
SOULWAX ESSENTIAL [PIAS] Recordings
KAMAAL WILLIAMS THE RETURN Black Focus
LUMP LUMP Dead Oceans
DAVID SYLVIAN & HOLGER CZUKAY PLIGHT & PREMONITION FLUX & MUTABILITY Groenland
SHAME SONGS OF PRAISE Dead Oceans
www.pias.com/uk
Staff Charts
Javi
1. Beak>: >>>
Another year, another booklet, another shameless plug of my band, grasshopper, who’ve spent the year finishing off our debut album (watch this space!), releasing an EP, supporting Northern heroes Brix & The Extricated and The Orielles, and finding our way — in sticker form — to every pub toilet in England (well, almost…)
3. Virginia Wing: Ecstatic Arrow
Gloomy post-punk aside, 2018 has seen me continue my stumble through university life, the highlights of which include: buying a shiny shiny new guitar; hair dye that claimed to be blond but turned out to be ginger (come see the results for yourself!); regular binges of The Fall’s back catalogue as part of the Mark E Smith mourning process; seeing Kendrick Lamar, Crack Cloud, Sauna Youth and Thee MVPs (unfortunately not at the same gig); and more walks down Curry Mile than you can shake a broken Mobike handlebar at.
2. Idles: Joy as an Act of Resistence 4. Bambara: Shadow On Everything 5. Halo Maud: Je Suis Une Île 6. Rival Consoles: Persona 7. Courtney Barnett: Tell Me How You Really Feel 8. Fröst: Matters 9. Brix & The Extricated: Breaking State 10. The Go! Team: Semicircle 11. Pinkshinyultrablast: Miserable Miracles 12. Preoccupations: New Material 13. The Orielles: Silver Dollar Moment 14. Wax Chattels: Wax Chattels 15. La Luz: Floating Features 16. Mogwai: KIN 17. Sauna Youth: Deaths
As my poor housemates know all too well, though, most of my time has been spent shouting “GET YOUR SHIRT!!” in a crap Iggy Pop impression at any (and every) opportunity. I’m calling it now: “Get Your Shirt”, Underworld & Iggy Pop, song of the decade… See ya!
18. Olafur Arnalds: re:member
Paul
1. Mildlife: Phase
Well, who would have thought that after a hiatus of five years I would have been pulled back into the fold of Piccadilly Records via the wormhole of social media?!
3. Nu Guinea: Nuova Napoli
It’s been wonderful to have been invited back to distract you from the daily grind by filling up your timelines with pictures and videos of record releases, banners, accessories, dogs, cars and shop antics.
19. Gwenno: Le Kov 20. Gaz Coombes: World’s Strongest Man
2. Altin Gun: On 4. Arctic Monkeys: Tranquility Base Hotel + Casino 5. Kadhja Bonet: Childqueen 6. Auntie Flo: Radio Highlife 7. Kassin: Relax 8. Hampshire Foat: Nightshade 9. Kamaal Williams: The Return
When I was here in my mail order capacity the end of year chart was strictly 20 of your favourite albums released that year. As a fan of the compilation, the reissued classics and the lost LP, I’m thrilled to discover I can put these on my list now too — so my 15 albums and 5 comps hopefully reflect a lot of the records that I’ve played out and about in Manchester bars.
10. Nickodemus: A Long Engagement
DJing wise I kicked off the year by playing at the incredible Spiritland, Kings Cross which was as scary as it was exhilarating. But locally a big thank you to Terrace, Albert Schloss, Cottonopolis, The Bay Horse and Grub for putting up with me playing records regularly in your fantastic spaces. More of the same for 2019?! Yes please.
16. V/A: Bob Stanley & Pete Wiggs present Paris In The Springtime
11. Colorama: Cookie Zoo 12. Durand Jones & The Indications: S/T 13. Anchorsong: Cohesion 14. Mr. Fingers: Cerebral Hemispheres 15. Adrian Younge & Ali Shaheed Muhammad Presents: The Midnight Hour
17. V/A: Balearic 4 18. V/A: Too Slow Too Disco Brazil, complied by Ed Motta 19. V/A: Martin Freeman & Eddie Piller Present: Jazz On The Corner 20. V/A: Full Beam: For Gees Only Vol. 1
Jazz Chart
simian mobile disco Murmurations
“hypnotic and transcendental” mixmag 9/10
scent
Deep Springs EP
“a hallucinogenic foray into melodic bliss” the 405
the goon sax We’re Not Talking
“a glorious pop album” moJo
HHHH
los campesinos!
Hold On Now, Youngster…
(10TH ANNivErSArY rEMASTEr) “this debut is unusually taut and polished, with hooks, crescendos, and clever turns of phrase nearly always in the right place” pitchfork 8.4
www.wichita-recordings.com
cloud nothings Last Building Burning
“Last Building Burning has opened the door for Cloud Nothings to be anything, and everything, that they want to be” diY
HHHH
order online at piccadillyrecords.com
Friends of Piccadilly Records Charts Phil France — Top 5 1. Matthew Halsall & The Gondwana Orchestra: Journey in Satchidananda (Gondwana Records) 2. Yves Tumor: Safe in the Hands of Love (Warp) 3. Afrodeutche: Break Before Make (Skam) 4. Michael Price: Tender Symmetry (Erased Tapes) 5 James Heather: Stories from Far Away on Piano (Ahead of Our Time) A Certain Ratio: 10 from 2018 Emanative: Planet B (feat Liz Elensky) Phil Kieran: Polyrhythmic Africaine 808: Tummy Tummy (Auntie Flo Remix) Steve Cobby & Danielle Moore: Left handed Books (Ashley Beedle Remix) Bjorn Torske: Blue Call Tony Allen and Jeff Mills: The Seed (EP) Gabe Gurnsey: Physical (Album) Sink Ya Teeth: Sink Ya Teeth (Album) Christine & The Queens: Chris (Album) Mr Fingers: Cerebral Hemispheres (Album) Halo Maud My personal chart so far would be: • Melody’s Echo Chamber who released a beautifully haunted and experimental second album. • Moodoïd, a band in which I used to play, glam-progjazzrock-sexy vibes. • Flavien Berger, another French artist, especially for the lyrics, simple but highly poetic and meaningful. • Palm, probably the record of 2018 I listened to the most, especially the song “Dog Milk”.
Friends of Piccadilly Records Charts
Whyte Horses (Dom) 1. Whyte Horses: Empty Words (CRC Music) 2. Arthur Russell: The World of Arthur Russell (Soul Jazz) 3. David Shire: The Conversation Soundtrack (Trunk Records) 4. Arctic Monkeys: Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino (Domino Records) 5. Les Big Byrd: Iran, Iraq, Ikea (PNK SLM)
Tim Burgess (10 from 2018) Tirzah Jean Grae & Quelle Chris Chris Carter George Clinton Sophie Alex Tucker Natalie Prass Selling, Gold Panda & Jas Shaw Jerry Paper Enjoy
Cavern Of Anti-Matter (Tim Gane) 1. The Residents: The W***** B*** Album — The Residents pREServed 2. Tomaga: Music For Visual Disorders — Meakusma 3. Robert Rental: Different Voices For You Different Colours For Me Demos 1980 — Optimo 4. Phill Niblock: Nothin To Look At Just A Record — Superior Viaduct 5. Beak>: >>> -Invada 6. François De Roubaix: Daughters Of Darkness — Les Lèvres Rouges (Original Soundtrack) — Music On Vinyl 7. Ty Segall & White Fence: Joy — Drag City 8. Chris Carter: CCCL Volume One — Mute 9. Roland Kayn: Simultan — Die Schachtel 10. Warner Jepson: Totentanz — États-Unis Favourite single: Shackleton: Furnace Of Guts — Woe To The Septic Heart!
The Orielles (In no particular order): Bill Ryder-Jones: Yawn The Internet: Hive Mind Kikagaku Moyo: Masana Temples Sam Evian: You, Forever Confidence Man: Confident Music For Confident People Altin Gün: On Khruangbin: Con Todo El Mundo Halo Maud: Je Suis Une Île Kadhja Bonet: Childqueen Courtney Barnett: Tell Me How You Really Feel
Boy Azooga Sam Evian: You, Forever Accu: Echo The Red Oh Sees: Smote Reverser Randy Newman: Dark Matter Sudan Archives: Sink
Friends of Piccadilly Records Charts
Tess Parks Top 5 of 2018 Spiritualized: And Nothing Hurt Amen Dunes: Freedom Cat Power: Wanderer Brian Jonestown Massacre: Something Else Bob Dylan: More Blood, More Tracks Anton Newcombe Elliott Smith: Either Or PIL: Metal Box Suicide: Alan Vega / Martin Rev (The First Album) Van Morrison: Astral Weeks Marvin Gaye: What’s Going On (Remastered 40th Anniversary Edition) “All reissued all worth owning on vinyl.”
Gulp Gruff Rhys: Babelsberg Dean Wareham vs Cheval Sombre Szun Waves: New Hymn To Freedom Arp: Zebra Boy Azooga: 1,2 Kung Fu
Kelly Lee Owens Jon Hopkins Helena Hauff Yves Tumor Kali Uchis Serpentwithfeet
TVAM Melody’s Echo Chamber: Bon Voyage Oneohtrix Point Never: Age Of Johann Johannsson: Mandy Soundtrack GOGGS: Pre Strike Sweep Nine Inch Nails: Bad Witch John Grant: Love Is Magic La Luz: Floating Features Black Moth Super Rainbow: Panic Blooms The KVB: Only Now Forever Data Discs: Okami Soundtrack
Booklet design:www.markbrownstudio.co.uk
Basso (Growing Bin Records) In alphabetical order: Aqueduct Ensemble: Improvisations On An Apricot Arp: Zebra Berko: Help Susumu Yokota: Acid Mt Fuji Waak Waak Djungi: Waak Wak Ga Min Min Data Discs: Okami Soundtrack
ALBUMS OF THE YEAR 2018
VALUE VOID SENTIMENTAL
TOUGH LOVE LP / CD
WIRE
CHAIRS MISSING
PINK FLAG LP / BOOK CD / CD
SANDRA KERR & JOHN FAULKNER
THE MUSIC OF BAGPUSS
EARTH RECORDINGS LP / CD
OUGHT
DOUG PAISLEY
SLEAFORD MODS
MERGE RECORDS LP / CD
NO QUARTER LP / CD
F&F PRODUCTIONS DVD / CD
JLIN
MIEN
PLANET MU LP / CD
ROCKET RECORDINGS LP / CD
ROOM INSIDE THE WORLD
FUCKED UP
DOSE YOUR DREAMS
MERGE RECORDS LP / CD
TRACYANNE & DANNY TRACYANNE & DANNY
MERGE RECORDS LP / CD
STARTER HOME
AUTOBIOGRAPHY
DAVID AXELROD
SONG OF INNOCENCE NOW AGAIN LP / CD
www.cargorecords.co.uk
BUNCH OF KUNST
MIEN
KRISTIN HERSH
POSSIBLE DUST CLOUDS FIRE RECORDS LP / CD
SOUNDTRACK PROVIDED BY
KHRUANGBIN ‘Con Todo El Mundo’ . WHITE DENIM ‘Performance’ PRINS EMANUEL ‘Diagonal Musik’ . TIM BURGESS ‘As I Was Now’ WILD NOTHING ‘Indigo’ . THE VRY LL SOCIETY ‘Course Of The Satellite’ GULP ‘All Good Wishes’ . TOSHIO MATSUURA GROUP ‘Loveplaydance’ AMEN DUNES ‘Freedom’ . EXPLODED VIEW ‘Obey’ BJORN TORSKE ‘Byen’ . DJ KOZE ‘Knock Knock’ THANKS TO PICCADILLY RECORDS FOR ALL THEIR SUPPORT IN 2018 SUPPORT INDEPENDENT LABELS AND INDEPENDENT RECORD SHOPS WWW.REPUBLICOFMUSIC.NET