The Best Albums of 2015

Hang on, how is it January 2nd already? And for that matter, when did it become 2016?

This year seems to have flown by in a whirlwind of new jobs, new opportunities and commuting, with 2016 set to follow a similar pattern. Last night I woke up in a cold sweat, racking my brains for something I was meant to have done. I finished all of my work before Christmas, didn't I? I bought all of the family presents I'm sure. And then it hit me: I haven't compiled my Best Albums of 2015 list! Now an annual tradition only I care about, it adds an element of much needed routine to the Christmas break, and allows me to reflect on some of the beautiful sounds which infiltrated my ears this year. So without further ado, in reverse order, here we go...

20. Sleaford Mods - Key Markets

19. Alabama Shakes - Sound & Color

18. All We Are - All We Are

17. Destroyer - Poison Season

16. Mikal Cronin - MCIII

15. Joanna Gruesome - Peanut Butter

14. Algiers - Algiers

13. Farao - Till It's All Forgotten

12. Sexwitch - Sexwitch

11. Zun Zun Egui - Shackles' Gift

10. Courtney Barnett - Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit

9. Sleater-Kinney - No Cities to Love

8. Public Service Broadcasting - The Race for Space

7. East India Youth - Culture of Volume

6. Young Rival - Interior Light

5. Panda Bear - Panda Bear Meets the Grim Reaper

4. Ezra Furman - Perpetual Motion People

3. Waxahatchee - Ivy Tripp

2. Ghostpoet - Shedding Skin

1. Sufjan Stevens - Carrie & Lowell

A Tune A Day: Day Seven

I am in the throes of redundancy currently so am prone to bouts of wallowing, and today I brought the Boss along for company.  It's Bruce Springsteen, with the classic The River.

You can't go wrong learning Bruce tracks, most of them are fairly simple but very satisfying.  On a side note, he appears to be playing the very telecaster I desire in the picture here, it must be a sign.  As per usual, the chords can be found from the ever reliable Ultimate Guitar Tabs here.

A Tune A Day: Day Six

Today I am choosing one of my all time favourite songs, from one of my all time favourite albums.  It is the fantastic I Think I Need A New Heart by The Magnetic Fields, from their seminal classic album 69 Love Songs.  If you have never heard it I urge you to check it out, it's exactly as it sounds: 69 pop songs about love, but the level of quality throughout is really something, and the subject of love is approached from every angle, often amusing, and frequently heartbreaking.

The chords can be found on the excellent Stephin Songs website, which has the chords to every Magnetic Fields song committed to tape.

A Tune A Day: Day Five

This weekend we are off to see the Elliott Smith documentary Heaven Adores You, and so thought it would be appropriate to learn one of his songs, so I chose one of my favourites, Twilight.

Elliott Smith was notorious for overlaying several guitars (and vocals), so this is a nice one to learn as it can be easily recreated on an acoustic.  As always, the chords are courtesy of Ultimate Guitar Tab, and can be found here.

A Tune A Day: Day Four

A real blast from the past today, with a slice of pop perfection from Ian Broudie and co., it's Change by the Lightning Seeds. 

Okay, it's a bit cheesy, but I bet you enjoyed that really. Also, that first Dm7 in the verse is a lovely, lovely chord. As always, the full chords can be found at Ultimate Guitar Tab here.

A Tune A Day: Day Three

Something a little bit sad today, but with some really nice (simple) chords in it: Radiohead's Fake Plastic Trees.

I know, I know, too easy!  But the idea is more to build up a repertoire, and then explode into spontaneous solos.  The chords can once again be found on Ultimate Guitar Tab by clicking here.

A Tune A Day: Day Two

Something a bit more challenging today from me to you.  I am currently devouring (at an increasingly unhealthy rate) the excellent John Lennon biography "John Lennon - The Life" by Philip Norman, and as such thought I'd learn one of my favourite Beatles tracks.  So, today's song is "I'm Looking Through You" from Rubber Soul.

The chords can once again be found on Ultimate Guitar Tab here.  See you tomorrow!

A Tune A Day: Day One

For some time I have dreamt of owning a Telecaster electric guitar, and this year I have decided to bite the bullet and buy one.  My birthday is coming up next weekend (send cards/gifts/money to Jam & Soe, Jam & Soe Towers, England), and so that is the day I will make my long awaited purchase.

In the run up to this, I thought it would be appropriate to learn some songs to play on my new axe (seems sensible, right?).  I have noodled about on acoustic guitars for some years, but figured it was time I actually got good at it.  So, I thought I would learn a tune a day (snappy title, I'm surprised no one else has used it...) until I'm up there with Hendrix, or until I run out of free time.

So, day one: a nice easy song to get me started.  A bit too easy actually, but thought I'd share these with you to make sure I actually learn them, and so you can if you like as well.  I chose "Crash" by the Primitives, a power pop classic, which happened to be on 6music this morning, and also happens to consist of three chords.

The chords can be found on Ultimate Guitar Tabs here, check back tomorrow for something a little more challenging!

The Best Albums of 2014

It's that wonderful time of the year again; wrapping up warm, sipping mulled wine, decorating the tree.  As usual, of course, I am shunning all of that to furiously listen my way through hundreds of albums to come up with a definitive list of the best releases of the year.  I continue to do this thankless task year after year because, in truth, I enjoy it.  Coming up with a "Best of" list each year forces me to consume as much music as possible throughout the year, and try out bands I may have otherwise overlooked or not given the time to, just in case they're the one.  So, without further ado, may I present my top albums of 2014...

20. The Wytches - Annabel Dream Reader

19. Metronomy - Love Letters

18. Avi Buffalo - At Best Cuckold

17. Damien Jurado - Brothers and Sisters of the Eternal Sun

16. Slow Club - Complete Surrender

15. Jack White - Lazaretto

14. Mac DeMarco - Salad Days

13. How to Dress Well - "What Is This Heart?"

12. Jenny Lewis - The Voyager

11. Perfume Genius - Too Bright

10. Jungle - Jungle

9.  Cloud Nothings - Here and Nowhere Else

8.  Nick Mulvey - First Mind

7.  Sinkane - Mean Love

6.  Adult Jazz - Gist Is

5.  Wild Beasts - Present Tense

4.  Sharon Van Etten - Are We There

3.  The War on Drugs - Lost in the Dream

2.  Tune-Yards - Nikki Nack

1.  Kate Tempest - Everybody Down

J.

Casiotone

On a recent trip to Brighton's Snooper's Paradise I stumbled upon this 80s relic which I'm hoping will give my home compositions a much needed electro twist. Watch this space for the results, and in the meantime enjoy its retro good looks (whilst I enjoy the demo song: Wham's 1984 classic "Wake Me Up Before You Go Go"...)