Die Alben meines Jahres
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1) PJ Harvey, "Let England Shake"
2) Hollie Cook, "Hollie Cook"
3) St. Vincent, "Strange Mercy"
4) Anna Calvi, "Anna Calvi"
5) Phall Fatale, "Charcoal from Fire"

6) Evelinn Trouble, "Television Religion"
7) Peaking Lights, "936"
8) Cloud Control, "Bliss Release"
9) Wild Beasts, "Smother"
10) Peggy Sue, "Acrobats",

11) Other Lives, "Tamer Animals"
12) Tom Waits, "Bad As Me"
13) Laura Marling, "A Creature I Don't Know"
14) The Naked and Famous, "Passive Me, Aggressive You"
15) Joe Henry, "Reverie",
16) Metronomy "The English Riviera"
16) Blood Orange, "Coastal Grooves",
18) Feist, "Metals"
19) The Sand Band, "All Through the Night"
20) Erland & The Carnival, "Nightingale"
21) The Unthanks, "Last"

Evelinn Trouble, "Television Religion" (Chop Records)

Trouble is a strong and expressive singer. She plays antediluvian Juno 60-synth and guitar, side-kick Flo Goette adds bass, percussion and MPC 2000 drum machine. Crashing guitar chords are mixed in with massively beefy synths, there is much clever and exuberant play with quiet/loud dynamics, and the gaps are filled with delightful detail. Highlight is the incredibly loud, dark and yet euphoric "Nothing".

Peaking Lights, "9E6" (Weird World Records)

Aaron Coyes and Indra Dunis from Wisconsin are the love children of Lee Perry and Mazzy Star. At the root of their hallucinogenic sound stew is Dub of the King Tubby kind. Out of this grows a remarkably upbeat new species of Reggae, consisting of driving, repetitive bass lines, psychedelically shimmering guitars, plenty of echo boxes and effect pedals, plus Dunis whose dreamy voice doesn't so much sing the songs as intone them as mantra-like phrases.

Joe Henry, "Reverie" (-Anti)

Another magnificent album from Joe Henry, his twelfth. Henry is better known today for his production work with, amongst others, Solomon Burke, Mary Gauthier and Carolina Chocolate Drops. In his own right, he has developed a jazzy style that is much less stylised than Tom Waits's, though often and subtly just as imaginative. Recorded in a mere five days, the musicianship here is superb, the tales told are absorbing, and the melodies gorgeous.

First Aid Kit, "The Lion's Roar" (Wichita)

On their second album Swedish sisters Johanna and Klara Söderberg expand their instrumental arsenal to include strings, glockenspiel, pedal steel etc. Their angelic vocal harmonies remain the same. Recorded with a whole hall full of echo, they now have an eerie quality that only adds to their depth. Their melodic Country chansons sometimes sound like an upbeat Alela Diane. And they have a mean way with a waltz.

Peter Hammill, "Pno, Gtr, Vox Live Performances" (Fie)

Hammill was and is the singer with Van der Graaf Generator, for decades one of the most innovative bands around, as Johnny Rotten will testify. His solo career is no less singular. On this double album he presents songs from twenty solo albums, dating back to 1971. One CD is with piano, the other with guitar. The song structures are unusual, to say the least, the words cascade like a waterfall.

Phall Fatale, "Charcoal From Fire" (kuenschtli.ch)

Drummer Fredy Studer's new band contains three double-basses, electronics, toy piano and beer bottle - and the two singers Joana Aderi and Joy Frempong. The focus is set on "the song", the stylistic spectrum reaches from the Blues across central Europe and Industrial Rock to Annette Peacock's more daring adventures. Produced by Roli Mosimann, this is gripping stuff.

St Vincent, "Strange Mercy" (4AD)

"Strange Mercy" is the third Annie Clark/St Vincent album, and it is barely recognisable as the work of the same artist who recorded the exquisite, chamber-music-like "Actor". The subtle strings have made way for sleazy analogue-synthesizers, sharp Electro beats and Clark's own highly idiosyncratic guitar-playing.The contrast between sweet voice and dirty grooves and riffs creates a deeply intriguing dark/light sort of dynamism.

Hollie Cook, "Hollie Cook" (Mr Bongo)

The daughter of an Ex-Amazulu and an Ex-Pistol made her first musical steps in public with the reformed Slits. Her debut album oozes class and flair. She takes an old and often hackneyed sub-genre of British reggae, Lovers' Rock, and, with an ace band that includes Dennis Bovell, turns it into something fresh and relevant. From the first note of the irresistibly summery "Milk & Honey" to the last twinkling of "Body Heat", this is an utter delight.

Susanne Sundfor, "The Brothel" (Grönland)

Sundfor plays various keyboards, plus vibraphone and marimba. Many other instruments are involved, ranging from lap steel to viola, trombone and "water harp". In her hands, an orchestra never sounds bombastic, instead her arrangements are subtle and unusual, and all the more dramatic for it. "It's all Gone Tomorrow" thus marries luscious orchestral swirl with Dubstep-clatter. A sort of Björk/Bush without their hysterical tendencies.

Other Lives, "Tamer Animals"(Play It Again Sam)

Other Lives from Stillwater, Oklahoma, own their own studio and can thus spend as long as they want on anything they do. Their second album comes with a wall-of-sound-production that could be orchestrated by Phil Spector were he a Fleet Foxes- and Sigur Ros-loving Post-Folkie. A certain ramshackle quality saves the music from sounding ridiculously grandiose.

Berne, Black &Cline, "The Veil" (Cryptogramophone)

By day, Nels Cline plays elegant guitar with Wilco, by night he becomes the paid-up member of the community of American free improvisers he has been for decades. Here he teams up with alto saxophonist Tim Berne and drummer Jim Black. The encounter leads to a music that is fiercely muscular, often very loud and yet subtly lyrical. A rewarding trip, though not for the faint-hearted...

Tonbruket, "Dig it to the end" (ACT)

Never heard of this Swedish band until this stunning album dropped through my letterbox. Dan Berglund (double bass), Johan Lindström (guitars, pedal steel), Martin Hederos (keyboards, violin) and Andreas Werliin (drums) have all played in a variety of other bands. Here, they serve up a devilishily intense and innovative brew of instrumental Post-Tortoise-Post-Rock, free improvisation and Rock'n'Roll. "Decent Life", wow!

Stahlberger, "Abghenkt" (Irascible)

Never heard of Manuel Stahlberger before, although he clearly has been around a bit. A great album with a steely drum sound, chunky guitars, ukulele and splendidly sardonic Swiss German lyrics. "Heimat", "Sie wäred gross gsi" and the ridiculously funny "Wanderwätter" are the highlights.

Dead Bunny, "Dead Bunny" (Super Tuesday)

Vox/guit, bass, drums trio from Berne, halfway between Motorpsycho and Screaming Trees, with a hint of Will Oldham. Can't really describe it. Bottom line: it's personal. I was in the M4Music demo tape clinic jury voting for their win. Rock, sounding unusual, somehow. Perhaps it's the red vinyl.

Karl Culley, "The Owl"(Triumphant Sound)

Culley is a singer/songwriter from Yorkshire, now residing in Krakow (for love, poor lad).This is his second album. The first, "Bundle of Nerves", is a hidden treasure, combining a subtle acoustic guitar style reminiscent of Michael Chapman with an ear for spooky atmospherics. "The Owl" is a simpler work only in regard of being barer, with fewer extra instrumental touches. The great "Never Desert a Dying Horse" sounds positively Tim Buckleyan.

Narasirato, "Tangio Tumas" (Smash Corporation)

It is possible to rock out to euphoria-inducing effect with a handful of pan flutes, voices and a few pots to hit. Narasirato are a hydra-like pan flute orchestra from the Solomon Islands. This mini-album was recorded partly at home in Oterama, partly live at the Fuji Rock Festival in Japan. Melodies carried by a dense mesh of fluting, drumming and exuberant singing. Just glorious.

Cloud Control, "Bliss Release" (Ivy League/Infectuous)

An Australian band from the Blue Mountains near Sidney (perhaps this matters, perhaps not), this quartet boasts two singers, Heidi Lenffer and Alister Wright, and reminds me of one of my favourite 1990s bands, Sky Cries Mary from Seattle. There is also a hint of Black Angels. In other words: A thick and creamy stew of psychedelically fried melodiousness, driven by a beefy rhythm section.

Schorsch H. & Dr. Will, "Together" (BSC Music)

The wonderful Dr Will is easily one of my favourite musicians. Here, the Bavarian Dr. John (only with a better sense of humour) is teaming up with his brother to deliver their versions of evergreens like "Candyman", "Little Red Rooster" and "Boom Boom", plus a couple of their own songs. Sometimes they sing in gloriously right-sounding "Bavarian", sometimes in English; sometimes it's quiet, sometime raucously loud. Everything, however, is played with a rare freshness, enthusiasm, energy and wit.

Juliette Commagere, "The Procession" (Manimal)

Juliette Commagere sings with Ry Cooder's band and is married to Cooder's drummer son, Joachim. This is her second solo album. Hers is a sophisticated blend of superior pop song with "big" and subtly experimental arrangements. Synths form the basis of the sound, violins, trumpets and drums are the organic seasoning. Commagere's velvet voice, meanwhile, glides across the music with rare grace.

Emily Barker & The Red Clay Halo, "Almanac" (Everyone Sang Records)

Singer songwriter Barker is an Australian expatriate in London with a fine understanding of the dynamics of English Folk traditions. "Nostalgia", a track from her last album, was the theme tune of the BBC series "Wallander". This is her third album, and it is every bit as rich in tone and satisfying in content as the previous one. Barker's speciality are intricate arrangements with instruments as diverse as banjo and pipe organ, thumb piano, cello and musical saw.

Shona Foster, "The Moon & You" (Republic of Music)

What a gorgeous voice, what great songs! Foster - born in Scotland, raised in Yorkshire, resident in Brighton - writes melodies and arrangenments which in their luscious, theatrical and yet utterly kitsch-free, maze-like movements are faintly reminiscent of Kate Bush. Her voice, meanwhile, glides through these with the ease of someone completely at home in their music. Wonderful.

P. J. Harvey, "Let England Shake" (Island)

There is one constant in Polly Harvey's remarkable path: each new album will be radically different from the last. This time round, the most obvious difference lies in the lyrics. Harvey here delivers a series of ruminations on the subject of what it means to be British today. Wrapped in music that is as innovative as ever, and yet spookily, instantly, memorable, "Let England Shake" is clearly one of the albums of the year, already.

The Sand Band, "All Through The Night" (Deltasonic)

Liverpool's Sand Band are essentially the singing and song writing partnership of sometime Coral David McDonnell and Scott Marmion. They intended these home recordings to be mere demos, but were persuaded to release them as their debut album. And what a gem of understated, subtle craft it is. Marmion's pedal steel guitar adds depth and flavour to songs that aren't a million miles away in tone and spirit from the great Shack.

Various "The Sound of Siam" (Soundway Records)

Pop music from the Far East hasn't had it easy in the Western World, not even amongst World Music cognoscenti. Thus, even though Thailand is one of our most popular tourist destinations, modern pop music from there remains virtually unknown here. This gorgeous compilation shows what we're missing - or rather, what we were missing between 1964 and 1975. Although the stylistic variety of the 19 songs on offer is vast, what draws in the unfamiliar listener are the great grooves. Excellent liner-notes, too.

Anna Calvi, "Anna Calvi" (Domino)

The debut album of this "scene-free" Londoner begins with an instrumental that reminds me very much of Fleetwood Mac's "Albatross". Calvi, however, claims never to have heard of Peter Green. Be that as it may, her guitar playing is as striking as her voice. Her songs are dramatic, even when they are quiet, betraying Calvi's familiarity with the dynamics of classical composition. The harmonium as a lead instrument, finally, is a stroke of genius.

Album of the year: These New Puritans, "Hidden" (Domino)

Agnes Obel, "Philharmonics" (PIAS)
Black Mountain, "Wilderness Heart" (Jagjaguwar)
Bonnie "Prince" Billy, "The Wonder Show of The World" (Domino)
Cathal Coughlan, "Rancho Tetrahedron" (Kitchenware)
Dr. Will, "Speak of the Devil" (ZYX)
Erland & The Carnival, "E & TC" (Full Time Hobby)
Grinderman, "Grinderman 2" (Mute)
John Grant, "Queen of Denmark" (Bella Union)
Laura Marling, "I Speak Because I Can" (EMI)
Laura Veirs, "July Flame" (Bella Union)
LCD Sound System, "This is Happening" (EMI)
Otis Taylor, "Clovis People Vol. 3"
Paul Weller, "Wake Up The Nation" (Universal)
Plan B., "The Defamation of Strickland Banks" (Warners)
Steve Mason, "Boys Outside" (Domino)
The Black Angels, "Posphene Dream" (Warners)
The Climbers, "The Good Ship" (Willkommen Records)
Tom Jones, "Praise & Blame" (Universal)
Villagers, "Becoming a Jackal" (Domino)

The Black Angels, "Phosphene Dream" (Blue Horizon)

A splendidly lysergic take on repetitive, psychedelised Garage Rock and Blues from Austin, Texas. A deeply narcotic brew, reminding me of a sleazier Sky Cries Mary (obscure great Seattle band) crossed with Roky Erickson (whose backing band they were in 2008) and Tommy James & The Shondells.

Bronco, "Country Home/Ace of Sunlight" (BGO)

"Ace of Sunlight" was a staple of the bargain bins but has utterly disappeared in recent years. In my ISB-frazzled youth I found the LP rather dull. Only when I came across it on a blog a while ago did I discover its peculiar beauty. It doesn´t sound in any way like CSN&Y, as is often claimed, because I can´t stand CSN&Y. Instead, with the Soul voice of Jess Roden they sound very English and understated, like an unassuming but subtle spring conversation in the garden of a pub by the river. Thanks to Neil Storey for this rerelease.

Black Mountain, "Wilderness Heart" (Jagjaguwar)

Not as heavy and monotonous as their last album, the third LP from the Canadian masters of psychedelic Rock is remarkably easy on the ear. I really liked their old darkness, but now that they have discovered melodies to sing along to, I´m not complaining. The best comes first: "The Hair Song" has the beautiful vocals of Amber Webber as well as a splendidly spooky guitar motif.

Agnes Obel, "Philharmonics" (PIAS)

An album that has crept up on me from behind. At first listen, I thought the piano-based songs of this singing songwriter from Denmark were pretty alright, but not really memorable. I have revised my opinion since then. Obel´s deceptively simple, Satie-esque piano arrangements and her wintery calm and often multi-tracked vocals build a beautiful and near-sepulchral mood.

The Jim Jones Revue, "Burning Your House Down" (PunkRockBlues)

Jim Jones was once a member of the foolhardy as well as unlucky Thee Hypnotics, producing Stooges-like dirty Garage Rock when the whole world was set on Nirvana and Acid House. And he's still at it, to joyous effect. This second album by his latest band was produced by Bad Seed/Grinderman Jim Sclavunos who doesn't impose any restraint on proceedings. Driven by a Faces-esque piano, The Jim Jones Revue sound as if the anti-smoking campaign had never taken off. Great.

Cathal Coughlan, "Rancho Tetrahedron" (Kitchenware)

Late of Microdisney and Fatima Mansions, Cathal Coughlan has for a decade now followed a singularily fascinating path as a singer/songwriter. Aided by musicians like Audrey Riley and James Woodrow who arrive from a New Music background, including the band Icebreaker and Merce Cunningham's ensemble, Coughlan's songs are intricate and yet muscular, subtle and yet savagely, satirically funny.

Cosa Brava, "Ragged Atlas" (Intakt Records)

Guitarist Fred Frith first honed his instrumental skills with the archetypically 1970s English group Henry Cow. His new band contains accordionist and cellist Zeena Parkins, violinist Carla Kihlstedt, drummer Matthias Bossi and Norman Conquest on "sound manipulation". Their debut album is a gripping affair, weaving the varied backgrounds of all members into a tight mesh of devilish rhythms and intriguing melodies.

The Climbers, "The Good Ship" (Willkommen Records)

Post-Arcade Fire, violins, celli and outré brass and woodwind instruments next to the usual guitars and drums are no longer a rarity on our stages. Britain, in particular, has recently spawned a great many beguiling mini-orchestras for audiences with trendy haircuts. The Climbers are one such: lovely autumnal melodies to read Rilke to, embedded in richly layered arrangements that never get too cerebral, soppy or even kitschy.

Dr. Will, "Speak of the Devil" (ZYX Music)

The most interesting Reggae in recent years has come out of Berlin, so why should we be surprised that the best "New Orleans"-album of recent years hails from Munich? Dr. Will takes the formula - massive Dr. John-type voice, rumbling Voodoo-Grooves etc -, mixes in a hint of Waits, Doug Sahm, Ry Cooder and Stones, and yet remains utterly his own man.

Otis Taylor, "Clovis People Vol. 3" (Telarc)

The list of instruments used in "Rain So Hard", the first track of this astonishing set of 21st century Blues, may give an idea of just how singular an artist the 61 year old Otis Taylor is: his own guitar and voice (he also plays mandolin and banjo) plus bass and drums are joined by theremin, cornet, cello and pedal steel. Ranging from sparse acoustic gentleness to fierce and exquisitely controlled aggression, this is a gripping album.

Villagers, "Becoming a Jackal" (Domino)

"Villagers" isn't really a band. It's the nom-de-plume of Dubliner Conor J. O'Brien, previously of The Immediate, a psychedelic sort of Post-New Wave band with a sixties tinge, beloved, of course, by Hot Press and unknown anywhere else. After the failure of that group, O'Brien settled down with his collection of superior poetry books playing guitar for touring singers whilst quietly developing his own song writing skills. Three years later comes "Becoming a Jackal", his gorgeous debut album. Much of it, O'Brien has played and recorded himself. Occasionally, friends help out with strings, woodwind, drums and the like. The songs meander without hurry through a set of melodies that in the beginning keep their secrets close to their chest but nevertheless exude a rare hypnotic power.

Laura Veirs, "July Flame" (Bella Union)

Another endlessly fascinating album by one of my favourite American singer songwriters. She has a unique way of underpinning strong and unpredictable vocal melodies with an intricate mesh of instrumental patterns supplied by acoustic guitars as well as viola, drums, sax and strings.

The Features, "Some Kind of Salvation" (429 Records)

Another album that has reached me late. The Features hail from Sparta, Tennessee, and have been going for well over 15 years, apparently. This is only their second album, however, and it is the first to be chosen by The Kings of Leon to be released on their own new label. The Features are cut from a similar cloth as Spoon and myriad other non-mainstream, American rock bands. Their main advantage is great, simple songs, a lot of drive, plus a fantastic singer.

Erland & The Carnival, "E & TC" (Full Time Hobby)

Erland Cooper is a young Orcadian Folk singer, the Carnival consists of guitarist Simon Tong (Ex-Verve, Gorillaz, The Good The Bad & The Queen) and drummer/engineer David Nock. What makes their acid-frazzled brand of Folkrock so alluring is a hefty infusion of Motown-ish oomph and 60s psychedelic poppiness, and yet they do not sound "retro" in any way.

These New Puritans, "Hidden" (Domino)

A remarkably original and powerful fusion of woodwind, strings, Japanese Kodo drums, as well as loops and beats. For once, the "classical" instruments aren't just daubed over conventional rock tracks, but they are integral to the arrangements and the dynamics. I'm very much looking forward to seeing this lot at the M4Music Festival in Zurich at the end of the month.

Hindi Zahra, "Handmade" (EMI)

Hindi Zahra is a Paris-based Moroccon singer, and this is her debut album. Her music is a subtle and entirely clichée-free blend of chanson (with a few anglo-saxon influences, no doubt) that occasionally betray a hint of North African melody, Flamenco rhythm or even a light bossa nova touch (there is not the slightest hint of Buddha Café or Astrud Gilberto, though - both of which get on my nerves something rotten).

Owen Pallett, "Heartland" (Domino)

Pallett, a classically trained composer from Toronto, has written arrangements for Hidden Cameras, Last Shadow Puppets and many others. Free from any outside constraints, he serves up a concept album about his own relationships inspired by Roland Barthes's "A Lover's Discourse". The music is a deeply peculiar and yet powerful and edgy fusion of beats, singer/songwriter craft, woodwind, brass and gay aesthetics.

The Leisure Society, "The Sleeper" (Full Time Hobby)

An album that's been out for a while but I've only discovered it now. The core of the band consists of song writer Nick Hemmings and producer/multi-instrumentalist Christian Hardy. Around them they have assembled a vast cast of violins, cellos, clarinettes and the like. The results are finely crafted autumnal chamber-pop-songs full of detail, verve and charme.

Jace Everett. "Red Revelations" (Weston Boys/Wrasse)

Easily the most incendiary start to an album of the year. First, a few guitar scrapings, then, after the 1-2-3-4 of the drum sticks, a descending three-note guitar riff,a few gravelly "a-oohs" from a voice born in a midnight bar, and the whole thing propelled along by a dirty one-note piano motif. Everett is new to me, a Nashville song writer, this is his third album. Produced in part by Chuck Prophet, it is a potent brew of dirty Country and Rockabilly - the sound, furthermore, is ncredibly beefy without ever straying into Springsteen-territory. Superb.

Madness, "The Liberty of Norton Folgate" (Lucky Seven)

It's taken a few months to take in the full brilliance of this gorgeous album - next to "New Boots and Panties" and "Muswell Hillbillies" without a doubt one of the greatest London albums ever. The modern Madness sound features a little less Ska and a lot more Music Hall, Reggae and subtly underplayed circus melancholia. The ten-minute title track right at the end is worth the admission price alone.

Nisennenmondai, "Destination Tokyo" (Small Town Supersound)

Three women from Tokyo, five pieces of flabbergastingly tight and intense instrumental patterns not unlike a high-speed Michael Nyman. Just guitar, bass and drums, it says on the sleeve. However they do it, half the time it sounds as if there were also a couple of demented cellos and violins in there. Fiercly narcotic.

Trembling Bells, "Carbeth" (Honest Jons)

You can sense the free improvisational past of drummer and principal song writer Alex Neilson in vocal and instrumental lines that weave in and out of each other like the mists over a moor - or over an urban canal with a corpse or two floating in it. With instruments like harmonium, viola and trombone, we can hear echoes of the Incredible String Band, but also of Alistair Roberts (see below). The lyrics are undeniably contempoary, and singer Lavinia Blackwall is entirely her own woman and holds together this alluring and eerie album beautifully.

St Vincent, "Actor" (4AD)

Multi-instrumentalist Annie Clarke has worked with Sufjan Stevens, and her own music is every bit as convincingly odd. Hard to describe what she does - whatever, she does it well. A particular forte are peculiar arrangements involving a variety of real instruments as well as electonica. And she doesn't shy away from noise and dissonance.

Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson (Transgressive)

The Booklyn-based singing songwriter's album has been out in the States for a year, but it's only just been released in the UK. It contains a captivating mix of ramshackle band arrangements and strong voice.

Tom Brosseau, "Posthumous Success" (Fat Cat)

North Dakotan Brosseau has an eerily boyish voice and a very superior guitar technique. His witty lyrics often tell stories with a strong, Gothically tragi-comic undertow. Live, his solo appearances have a hypnotic quality that would be difficult to recreate on record. Thus, a number of guests add psalter, Jew's harp, guitars, drums and even feedback to this fine album.

Mexican Institute of Sound, "Soy Sauce" (Cooking Vinyl)

By day, Camilo Lara is the director of EMI Mexico. By night he immerses himself in a vast record collection and turns into the Mexican Institute of Sound. He builds riotously joyous and often very funny dance floor collages from beats and samples from all local music traditions. Guest singers Maria Paula, Paty Cantu und Pat C. as well as a real-life Mariachi combo add spice.

Alasdair Roberts "Spoils" (Drag City)


Scot Alasdair Roberts has for a while now been the most interesting and original of the new generation of songwriters working within the framework of the traditional British Folk song. This is his fifth solo album, and it is his best. A superb guitar stylist, Roberts is also a mesmerising teller of dark stories that are utterly modern and all the more poignant for their timeless settings.

Metric, "Fantasies" (Metric Productions)

The fourth, self-produced album of Canadian singer Emily Haines's post-post-New Wave-Pop-quartet is a glorious assemblage of deadly hooks, shiny and yet beefy production, and lyrics with unusal depth. Haines manages to sound both glacial and vulcanic in her delivery of killer songs like "Help I'm Alive", "Stadium Love", and - best of all - "Sick Muse".

Art Brut, "Art Brut vs. Satan" (Cooking Vinyl)

On their debut album, Eddie Argos's shouty vocals simply got on my nerves. On their second album, I thought the music was as boring as everything else. Clearly, I thought, a band whose gimmick had run its course. Now this, their third - a complete turn-around. The music - produced by Frank Black - is an urgent rock noise reminiscent of the kind of music Black himself comes up with when he's in loud mode. The main attraction, however, is Argos's lyrics. They are as funny as they are poignant through-out, full of verve, originality and warmth. The title track, Art Brut vs. Satan, argues the point that the listening public is satan because it consistently buys the wrong records, ie. not those of Art Brut. Elswhere, Eddie Argos is expressing astonishment that he hasn't discovered the pleasures of "The Replacements" before, especially as some of their members were almost as old as his parents. Elsewhere still, Argos is wondering aloud why so many bands were trying to sound like U2: "It's not so cool", he reckons.

Alela Diane, "To Be Still" (Fargo)

Her debut album took four years to flutter into the consciousness of a public beyond the cafés of hinterland California with its post-Vashti Bunyanesque songs of quietly bucolic travails. The follow-up comes with a much "bigger" production - "big" being very much a relative term. It's all the better for it. Mandolins, banjos, fiddles and even drums are applied with a touch that is both sure and sensitive. The arrangements throw a new light on Alela Diane's clear and still-water-deep voice, making it appear much more three-dimensional than on the previous album.

The Incredible String Band, "Tricks of the Senses" (Hux)

I´ve just bought the ISB´s new double CD of material from the vaults, "Tricks of the Senses" (Hex Records). 16 tracks, some previously unreleased, others alternative versions of some of their greatest songs ("Maya", "The Iron Stone"). It´s all lovingly done, recordings splendidly cleaned up (whilst still retaining some period crackle), lengthy accompanying essays, notes about the origin of the recordings etc. I must say, impressions on first hearing are mixed. Some of it is lovely, but I haven´t yet heard anything that achieves the intense sense of otherworldliness and transport of their best albums. Which in my book are "5000 Spirits", "Hangman´s Beautiful Daughter", "Wee Tam & Big Huge" and "Liquid Acrobat as Regards the Air". Still - very nice to have.

Robyn Hitchcock & The Venus 3, "Goodnight Oslo" (Proper)

The first great record of the new year has arrived - "Goodnight Oslo" by Robyn Hitchcock & The Venus 3. A splendid selection of witty and yet emotionally subtle songs with memorable melodies and lyrics, complete with Terry Edwards and his trumpets and saxs, plus cello, violin, oud, santoor. Peter Buck, Scott McCaughey and Bill Rieflin are somewhere in the mix, too, but this isn't about names or connections, it's about the songs. I can't help wondering, though, what Robyn Hitchcock might sound like alongside Go Between Robert Forster.

As can be gleaned from my news page, I´ve been to San Francisco. This means I´ve also been to the Amoeba Record Store at the far end of Haight Street. It will be impossible for anyone who´s never visited one of the three Amoebas in SF, LA or Berkeley to comprehend the sheer vast wonderfulness of this establishment. Naturally I bought a few CDs. This is what I bought:

- Link Wray, "Link Wray" (Polydor)

An astonishing album that nobody bought when it came out in 1971, a firey hotpot of Link Wray-Folk-Blues and Link Wray-Gospel, all performed with fierce devotion to the task at hand. Billy Hodges is on piano, Bobby Howard on Mandolin and piano, Doug Wray and Steve Verroca play the drums, and all sing. I have this on vinyl and barely dare putting it on for fear of damaging the sleeve with its cut-out profile of Link (?) dressed up as a red indian. Thus, I´m very pleased to have found it on vinyl, a "limited edition", no less, again on Polydor, complete with cut-out, but this time on hard cardboard.


- The Mendoza Line, "30 Year Low" (Glurp Records)

This mini-album (packaged with a bonus CD crammed full with cover versions and alternative live recordings) was released last year in the States and never made it to the UK. It is the swangsong of the glorious Mendozas from Brooklyn who have for so long been favourites of mine with their literary take on Indie-Country-Rock. Alas, I realised only on the flight back that singer Shannon McArdle´s first solo album has already been released in the US.


- Liam Finn, "I´ll Be Lightning" (Yep Rock Records)

Neil Finn´s son - I´ve heard good things about this album. Now seemed as good a time as any to buy it.


- Mighty Baby, "A Jug of Love" (Sunbeam)

I´ve been looking for this re-release for a while. Mighty Baby were a classic hippie band in the London style. Emerging from a mod band called The Action, they released their debut album in 1969, and followed it two years later with this, their last. I have the debut on vinyl and it is one of my favourite rock albums of that time, a heady blend of subtlety and hypotic rock dynamics. Their second is folkier, but the arrangements are still suprisingly complex. After this, the band fell apart, mostly due to the fact that the majority of the members had converted to Sufism, whilst Alan King hadn´t. The liner notes tell of a tour of Holland where half the band could hardly play so weak were they from their Ramadan exertions.


- Black Mountain, "In The Future" (Jagjaguwar)

A recommendation from Noel Gallagher, and everything he´s recommended to me over the past few years has been good. Intense, narcotic rock, it seems at first glance. Intriguing, that´s for sure.


- The Hidden Cameras, "The Arms of his "Ill"" (Absolutely Kosher Records)

The mad Joel Gibbs. Contains much sparser alternative versions of most of the songs contained on the Rough Trade album "Mississauga Goddam", released in the same year, 2004.

I took Johnny Flynn's album to Switzerland a few months ago to play on the radio show I do every time I'm there ("Sounds" on DRS3) and left my copy there to be played by their regular DJs. It's taken me until now to find a copy for myself. And the album is every bit as good as I remembered. Subtle folky stuff with celli and mandolins, a little reminiscent of James Yorkston, but a lot more upbeat. Plus, there is a song called "Wayne Rooney"!


Johnny Flynn, "A Larum" (Vertigo/Universal)

On the cover this, his first proper album (there was mini album taster last year) Eugene McGuinnes looks a bit like a very young John Lennon stuck - inexplicably - in a fencing outfit. The image has absolutely nothing to do with the fine contents of this CD. Song titles like "Rings Around Rosa", "Fonz" or "Moscow State Circus" give a hint that McGuinness is a singer songwriter with a neat turn of phrase as well as an ability to avoid lyrical and musical clichées. Double-edged jollity and wit is more his style than introspective melancholia. Ace. Domino Records truly is our contemporary version of Island Records in the 70s and Rough Trade in the 80s - a company whose every release is at least worth investigating.

Eugene McGuinness, "Eugene McGuinness" (Domino)


Juana Molina was born in Argentina, moved to Paris when she was 12 to get away from the government, returned to Buenos Aires six years later, became a tv comedy star, fled from fame to Los Angeles and became a musician. Her fifth album "Un Dia", is louder, "bassier" and "groovier" than the subtle predecessors and not at all less gorgeous for it. Molina truly has an indiosyncratic and subtle take on electronica and song-writing. The music this time sometimes has a minimalistic, repetitive groove, but the vocal melodies remain as intricate and "Argentinian" as ever.

Juana Molina, "Un Dia" (Domino)


Leila Arab was the keyboard player in Björk's live band before she turned her attention to the pleasures of the computer and the mixing desk. After a lengthy gap, this is her third album. Despite the vocal presence of Tricky's ex-partner Martina Topley-Bird the outcome is anything but trip-hop. The rhythm tracks are a complex tapestry of noise, beats and sampled instruments. Sometimes there is a hint of Central European circus, folk or chamber music, sometimes the noise borders on the industrial. Another guest singer on this gripping album is Ex-Special and -Fun Boy ThreeTerry Hall.

Leila Arab, "Blood Looms and Blooms" (Warp)

Dennis Wilson, "Pacific Ocean Blue" (Sony/BMG); the only solo album of the late Beach Boys' drummer resurrected, together with the never released "Bambu" and other tracks. A raw and dramatic album full of vast arrangements - many instruments played by Dennis himself - that could serve as a definition for a new genre, "California Soul".

Flat Mountain Girls, "Idle Talk & Wicked Deeds" (

No Depression calls it "postmodern traditionalism" - whatever, the Flat Mountain Girls are an old-tyme string quartet from Portland, Oregon whose music is a sparkling fresh melange of the Carter Family song book and a heap of traditionals, all done with real swing. This is their third album. The second, "Honey Take Your Whiskers Off", is just as good. The first I have not yet heard.


STRANGE CHANGED-MY-MIND-MOMENT OF THE MOMENT:

Bought the Micachu album "Jewellery" a few weeks ago and thought it was absolutely ace. Well, there was one song, "Golden Phone", that was so good I played it again and again until I was convinced this was the sound of the future and beyond. Since then I've tried to listen to the whole album on a few occasions, and I've failed miserably. Ten minutes maximum of the constant clank of home-made instruments and lo-fi vocals, and I'm truly annoyed. Another album that went from great admiration at first to complete "can't listen to it" in a very short space of time: Animal Collective's "Merriweather Post Pavillion" - I now find it shrill and claustrophobic and showily cerebral.


The best of 2009

Robyn Hitchcock & The Venus 3, "Goodnight Oslo" (Proper)
Alela Diane, "To Be Still" (Fargo)
Art Brut, "Art Brut vs. Satan" (Cooking Vinyl)
Micachu & The Shapes, "Jewellery" (Rough Trade)
King Creosote, "Flicking the Vs" (Domino)
Grizzly Bear, "Veckatimest" (Warp)
Metric, "Fantasies" (Metric Productions)
St. Vincent "Actor" (4AD)
Madness, "The Liberty of Norton Folgate" (Lucky Seven)
Jace Everett, "Red Revelations" (Weston Boys/Wrasse)
The Leisure Society, "The Sleeper" (Full Time Hobby)


The best of 2008

Nick Cave, "Dig. Lazarus, Dig!!!"
The Raconteurs, "Consolers of the Lonely"
Leila, "Blood Looms and Blooms"
Robert Forster, "The Evangelist"
Elbow, "The Seldom Seen Kid"
Juana Molina, "Un Dia"
Santogold, "Santogold"
MGMT, "Oracular Spectacular"
Fotheringay, "Fotheringay 2"
Bowerbirds, "Hymns for a Dark Horse"
Kings of Leon, "Only By The Night"
Eugene McGuiness, "Eugene McGuinness"
Johnny Flynn, "A Larum"