Each time I’m given free tickets to an event, my suspicions are aroused. Prior to my visit last night, The Vocal Orchestra had apparently played six consecutive sold-out Udderbelly shows. There were approximately 70 people at the show I was at. Maybe that’s why I had free tickets. Regardless, I’d watched the promotional video, and come to the conclusion that I probably wasn’t going to enjoy the show very much seeing as there’s little beatboxing talent displayed throughout that particularly smug and cloying vid.  But it would appear that that beatboxing’s not all that The Vocal Orchestra are about.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSp8BOlAA7g

The group’s show lasts over an hour and features vocal arrangements of pop songs predominantly ranging from the ’80s through to the ’90s.  It’s not as though the audience are over-exposed to hip-hop classics, perhaps save for a vague reworking of The 900 Number, essentially making The Vocal Orchestra a thoroughly entertaining band of vocal artists specialising in chart tunes. Physically, the group are choreographed as modern day street dance performers but without the risk of severe injury. One individual of note is Grace Savage, definitely the beatbox talent driving the orchestra. The other members making up the collective provide  general beatbox noises but primarily focus on solid, enjoyable vocal harmonies and solos.

There’s little point comparing The Vocal Orchestra to established beatboxers such as Rahzel or Beardyman – or, indeed, Shlomo, as their purpose is quite different to those solo performers. It’s hard to fault the group (though it would have been nice to have heard the full 2-step beat to Robin S’s Show Me Love), so should you have a free evening and quite fancy some light entertainment, The Vocal Orchestra are on hand to fulfil your mic-bothering needs. Just don’t go expecting a performance reflective of hip-hop culture.

Yes, this is my first review in quite some time. No, I didn’t like the album.

Read the review over at Music OMH. Or just don’t buy the record.

Cheers.

The record that caused a temporal melt down within as I suddenly realised that improvisation and experimentation can be executed beautifully on the guitar. No unnecessary pitch-shifting, arpgeggiatted synths cloying for attention – just one man, and an outlet. Tom’s music was undoubtedly responsible for me turning inwards and writing my own album in 2011 too. There He Unforeseen leant on The Union as a sullen twin, envious of its brother’s success. Not as accessible as The Union, but a fascinating listen to an artist’s evolution.

Elzhi – Elmatic.

Elzhi, hunched forward under the throne of Nas‘ iconic Illmatic took the New York MC’s record to new heights as he transferred the sounds and lyrics to Detroit. Using a live band to recreate the sampled sounds to create the Nas’ masterpiece, Elmatic is more than just a mixtape. Reimagining a work while being skilful and fluid enough to make it your own is a task that requires effort Herculean in nature. Released for free,  physical vinyl copies were strictly limited to 2,000 and should – no doubt – have flown the fuck out the shops.

Alva Noto – Univrs.

 The most insane electronic record I’ve heard in a while. Insane in a way that isn’t about noise, but structure, rhythm, gloss, sheen, pressure, industry. Thudding kick drums fall over eachother and the whole record sounds like a trip on a an interstellar steam train as taken in 3011. It may not be an accessible dance record, and I have no idea how to make it work in a mix. It all seems to be driven by maths, grime and sweat. A thrill from start to finish.

Andy Stott – Passed Me By / We Stay Together.

Great covers on this pair of EPs. The content is some kind of deconstructed techno-fuzz at the wrong tempo for it to be even considered techno. So what is it? It doesn’t really matter. It exists and it sounds like C3P0 throwing R2D2 against the concrete wall of my estate. What’s not to like?

Death Grips – Exmilitary.

I could almost understand if some reviewer somewhere didn’t include many of my favourite records in their ‘top’ list of 2011, but if they left this off, then they must be some kind of limp moron. Made freely available as a download, this rambunctious rap-punk mix of gluttony and polemic is an absolute must hear for anyone that likes hip-hop and its continued evolution. Basically, if you don’t like this record, you must be racist.

Nils Frahm – Felt.

It’s fair to say that I was thoroughly sickened by this latest release by Frahm. Like Peter Broderick, he is yet another youthful musician that just seems to ooze natural, innate talent.  Felt is so called because he had to dampen the strings of his piano so he didn’t disturb his neighbour – or so the story goes. Regardless, this makes for a fascinatingly intriguing listen – one that reminds me of the Goldberg Variations – not for its content, but for its intimacy. Yes. Intimacy. You don’t often get that from records these days.

Julianna Barwick – The Magic Place.

Breathy, female vocals usually send me running for the hills, but Julianna Barwick‘s gorgeous (yes, gorgeous) Magic Place is quite a different beast. Where is Barwick’s Magic Place? Well, “It was one tree that grew up, down and around. You had to crawl in and once you were inside, it was like there were different rooms, and you could actually lay in the branches. We named it ‘The Magic Place’ because it really was magical—especially for a kid…” Sounds righteous to me. In fact, the record is so bloody lovely, you could almost consider converting to some whacked out religion to ensure you got a daily dose of it.

Machine Head - Unto the Locust.

I admit that this record took me by surprise. I didn’t expect there to be a metal album in 2011 that could be quite as cohesive and consistent as this. Machine Head wear a love of …And Justice For All era Metallica on their blackened sleeves, yet the shredding wah solos and tumbling descending riffs brings A Vulgar Display of Power to mind. The band have come a long way from debut Burn My Eyes, and though traces of that record could still be heard in 2007′s The Blackening, Unto The Locust simply gallops along at a pace that far outstrips anything the band have ever done before. Superb.

Tape - Revelationes

Tape‘s latest is less experimental than their earlier offerings, it is a beautifully accessible album. OK, so the Swedish trio are unlikely to ever create something that will slide alongside releases such as Mogwai‘s currently lauded Hardcore will never die, but you will, but Tape’s music is so warm and homespun, it digs a very special home of its own. A place where others couldn’t tread without coming across as overwrought pirates partial to a bit of emotional blackmail. Y’know…a bit like Mogwai.

Raekwon - Shaolin vs Wu Tang

Maybe it’s just because it’s The Chef, but this – for me – was one of the shining hip-hop releases this year. Though  Danny Brown, Frank Ocean, Elzhi and Death Grips were all slinging decent albums for free across the ‘net, it’s only Shaolin vs Wu Tang that features great guest appearances from fellow Wu members, Method Man, Ghostface Killah and Inspectah Deck amongst other luminaries in the rap game like Nas and Busta Rhymes. Don’t compare it to Cuban Linx, just relish it for what it is. A banger.

Megafaun - Megafaun.

Beautiful work by this American trio that represents amarked advancement on their previous records. Filled with gorgeous, dropping harmonies and classically inspired progressions that brings The Band to mind, Megafaun are unafraid to wander into awkward instrumental experimentation, and that is one of the many reasons why they fit within the context of a progressive music that doesn’t simply dwell on a nostalgic reaffirmation and glorification of the past.

Deaf Center - Owl Splinters.

Deaf Center‘s ominous and curiously titled Owl Splinters  is just one of many interesting records released on the brilliant Type records this year. So why this record? Well, it’s dark, bowed strings, and dissonant pianos create an intensely broody atmosphere full of discomfort. A crushing record.

Drake - Take Care

When I first heard Drizzy, I wondered why I was listening to an American Craig David look and sound-a-like. But then, digging deeper and I found that Drizzy is capable of delivering far more than that Southampton garage chap. Take Care is emotionally and lyrically rich, with truly subtly nuanced chord progressions. Very clever and thoroughly enjoyable stuff that reveals something true about the artist himself. A rare thing.

Pinch & Shackleton - S/T

I don’t really understand where UK bass music is any more. The entire genre  seems so fractious, that I have a hard enough time keeping up with sub genres, remixes, mixes, producers etc. Nevertheless, this is one record that really stood out amongst all the moody 140bpm shuffling. It’s an album that seems to have a lot in common with the old style of drum n’ bass than any other artist is currently capable of generating, and that includes artists focusing solely on generating drum n’ bass.

A Winged Victory For The Sullen - S/T

Moody, droning pianos eloquently put together without the malice that Tim Hecker somehow manages to muster up. In contrast to Deaf Center and Nils Frahm there is little commonality. A Winged Victory For The Sullen are perhaps more likely to be aligned with the output of the orchestral, cinematic leanings of Max Richter, specifically in reference to Richter’s album, The Blue Notebooks.

And here’s a downloadable vinyl mix of some records I bought between 2010 and 2011.

A vinyl only mix of tunes selected and cut by me at the end of 2011.

Tracklist:

Yu Aku, Kunihiko Suzuki – Zange No Neuchi Mo Nai
Mono/Poly – Needs Deodorant
PJ Harvey – The Last Living Rose
Donato Dozzy – Untitled (track 3)
Ezekiel Honig – Between Bridges
Pye Corner Audio – November Sequence
Mount Kimbie – Before I Move Off
Andy Stott – We Stay Together (part one)
Ricardo Donoso – Baiting Disappointment
Googoosh – Talagh
Elzhi – The Genesis
Mos Dub – Ms. Vampire Booty
Belbury Poly and Moon Wiring Club – Portals and Parallels
Lorn – Automaton
Public Enemy – Sophisticated Bitch
Wildstyle – Gangbusters
Wagon Christ – Intro Funktion
Roots Manuva meets Wrong Tom – Worl’ A Mine
Ernest Ranglin – Ranglin Doddlin’
Dr. Octagon – 3000
Teebs – While You Dooo
John Baker – Omo Ad
Kuedo – Onset (Escapism)
Pinch and Shackleton – Torn & Submerged
Rustie – Hover Traps

http://www.mediafire.com/?x1i4cld9yz7zf1z

“I was going through a hard period, I exhibited all the classic symptoms of the unemployed, the redundant man. First you don’t shave, and it’s not to grow a groovy beard, it’s because you cannot be fucking bothered. Anger, deep deep anger sets in, with everything, with yourself number one and with everything in the world number two. And justifiably so because I was being screwed by my mates.”

Paul McCartney, Many Years From Now – Barry Miles (1997).

It’s rare to hear a man commonly associated with peace and love speak out so bitterly, but these are the feelings of resentment and rejection as experienced by Paul McCartney in 1970.

In 2010 the Paul McCartney Archive Collection released a deluxe, remastered package of Wings’ classic, Band On The Run, but these two McCartney solo records span a decade and serve to practically bookend the career of Wings: McCartney (1970) and McCartney II (1980). Remastered at Abbey Road by the team responsible for The Beatles remasters as well as being overseen by McCartney himself, anyone with a copy of the 1993 McCartney remasters is likely to invest in these extended packages for the increased grime and polish that gives these CD editions healthy qualities normally associated with vinyl. And, of course, the recordings are louder too, though they are mercifully not at the scorching level of The Beatles’ stereo remasters.

Back in 1970, in a Q & A designed to publicise his debut solo album without having to give interviews, McCartney described the theme of his album in three words: “Home, family, love,” and though that can easily be  inferred from this collection of homespun tracks recorded predominantly in Scotland on a Studer four-track, there is more tied into this largely wistful and retrospective work.

On famous ballad, ‘Maybe I’m Amazed’, McCartney sings, “Maybe I’m a man, maybe I’m a lonely man in the middle of something that he doesn’t really understand.” Bewildered by the isolation enforced during a period he came to recognize as one of the hardest of his life, Paul began working with the Studer at his Cavendish Avenue home in September 1969. Opening track ‘The Lovely Linda’ was the first song to be recorded, but it was created without a mixing desk or VU meters (used for monitoring volume) as they had yet to be delivered, and that’s an interesting historical fact that opposes claims that McCartney is a control freak (The Observer’s Sean O’Hagan once referred to McCartney as a ‘Creative Control Freak’).

Though many parts of McCartney are linked to his wife Linda, there are moments when he has only himself to answer to. In biography, Many Years From Now, McCartney says, “I remember lying awake at night shaking. One night I’d been asleep and awoke and I couldn’t lift my head off the pillow.” Proof of that depression can be found on ‘Every Night’ as he sings, “Every night I just wanna go out, get out of my head. Every day I don’t want to get up, get out of my bed.” Two numbers originally written in India (‘Junk’ and ‘Teddy Boy’), composed in happier times, stud the album, but with a twisted and resentful love.

CD 2 of the McCartney deluxe package includes seven bonus tracks: a mix of out-takes, live tracks and demos, and though this is mostly stuff that fans can live without, it’s nice to have live versions from 1979 that precede McCartney II. Similar songs from different shows are included on the DVD, but the bonus footage really gets interesting when home-made videos from Scotland flicker across the screen. The limited personal insight into the world of this famous 1970s family starts to get at the crux of McCartney, while the live music videos plainly demonstrate that the record is of such a viscerally personal nature that it simply does not translate when other musicians play its individual pieces. One exception to this is the Loma Mar Quartet’s stunning interpretation of ‘Junk’ which plays through a moving photo montage. There is also a solid, spoken overview of McCartney delivered by Paul himself while an enjoyably antiquated animation plays.

Diametrically opposed to McCartney, McCartney II reveals a revolt of the decade preceding it than it speaks of the artist himself. In the NME review of McCartney II (printed in June 1980), Danny Baker said, “’McCartney II’ isn’t worth the plastic it’s printed on. Neither is Paul, but  he’ll go on doodling and fooling his public because they’re too frightened to ditch him and his past and he’s too rich to be stopped.”

McCartney II arrived at number 1 in the UK charts and Wings began their slow descent to ground. Though McCartney had greater financial success from his time with Wings than in all his time with The Beatles, he still desired Scotland’s ground beneath his feet, because Scotland represented the opportunity and freedom to record without structure. The technology available at the time meant that McCartney II would become an altogether more experimental work; one that would incorporate synthesisers and a sense of galloping adventure. After all, for a man that had conquered the charts, what did he have to lose? What did McCartney have to prove? This album would find the artist linking to genres as diverse as disco, krautrock, synth-pop and furthering the experimental ambience tentatively explored on ‘Glasses’ (from McCartney).

Recorded on a 16-track recorder, and composed by a psychologically more stable McCartney, McCartney II is a record that even ex-writing partner Lennon found time for; going so far as to suggest that ‘Coming Up’ motivated him to start recording again (the track is also one of Paul’s personal favourites). In response to the question “What do you think Paul will think of your album?” (John Lennon / Plastic Ono Band) posed during the bile-ridden Rolling Stone Interviews conducted by Jann Wenner (1970), an emotional Lennon said, “I think it’ll probably scare him into doing something decent. And then he’ll scare me into doing something decent and I’ll scare him…like that. I think he will do it. I wish he wouldn’t…”

Between 1970 and 1980, McCartney released almost double the number of albums of Lennon. At a cynical level, it could be said that the rivalry extends even up to the point of these re-releases. In 2010, Yoko Ono returned to Abbey Road to oversee the remastering of Lennon’s solo back catalogue to mark what would have been his 70^th birthday, so it’s natural to wonder how coincidental these McCartney releases are.

Nevertheless, when it comes to McCartney’s recording output, it’s plain to see that McCartney II does more than bookend a decade. Seven months after this frequently overlooked record was released, John Lennon was dead – and gone with it a beautiful, long-standing musical and sibling rivalry. It’s fair to say that after 1980, McCartney’s greatest artistic lynchpin and inspiration had vanished.

Irrespective of the polemic, the extended McCartney II is well bolstered with the inclusion of some fascinating bonus audio (parts of which have otherwise leaked on the internet as The Lost McCartney II album). There’s the extravagant orchestral pop and pomp of ‘Blue Sway’; the bonkers swing of ‘Check My Machine’ (so called as it’s the sound of McCartney testing his hired 16-track machine); ‘Bogey Wobble’, which could easily be released on the Ghost Box label now; the ten-minute extrapolated jazz exercise of ‘Secret Friend’ that brings the work of Steve Reich to mind and even the top ten single, ‘Wonderful Christmastime’. Failing to include the violin-driven instrumental B-side to that Christmas single, ‘Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reggae’, is a missed opportunity. How many of these songs were created by the marijuana on McCartney’s mind is anyone’s guess.

It’s easy to say these are self-indulgent records as McCartney wrote, recorded, engineered and played everything himself; named them after himself; and put himself on the covers, but it also feels like McCartney had to find a place where he was allowed to just be.

These two decadent packages should see McCartney fans pirouetting back and forth through Maccaland, and – if anything – these releases indicate further remastering, further repackaging and further re-releasing from the archives. That’s all well and good, but only if content like the 25-minute interview included on the McCartney II DVD is forthcoming. It would be more of a revelation to be able to better understand one of the greatest living musicians on the planet, than to seek to desperately divine his motivations through his music – unless he himself doesn’t yet understand them fully.

Otherwise, McCartney’s truth will remain the simple plea that has existed throughout his career: “I need love, like a second needs an hour, like a raindrop needs a shower. Yeah, I need love, every minute of the day, and it wouldn’t be the same if you ever should decide to go away,” (from ‘Waterfalls’, McCartney II).

Designer, Charles Jencks, recently said, ‘Solitude is the key to self actualization.’ A quick look at Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs shows Paul McCartney unconsciously rising from the middle tiers and tapping into this primary level of need and creating two outstanding records of his solo career.

Published at The Quietus.com

According to the Hundred Acre Recordings website, Hallock Hill is the “nom de plume of Tom Lecky: an homage to the rural country where he was born in upstate New York. Tom is now a 20 year resident of New York City and its environs.” Whereas groups like Public Enemy and Love incorporated sounds from the thump and blur of the city into their music, Lecky has made the conscious decision to focus on the relative peace of the countryside. Fans of Richard Skelton may immediately be drawn to a principle that could potentially involve found sound, but shouldn’t expect to be swathed in similarity. For starters, Lecky’s primary instrument is the guitar, and there hasn’t exactly been a barrel of riveting solo guitar albums released of late. If you’re thinking this album might be something coursing through the cocaine stained vein of late 80s fretboard destroyers like Joe Satriani, Steve Vai and Yngwie Malmsteem, then picture a deconstructed, introspective and experimental Al Di Meola instead; but only for the subtle Mediterranean modes and scales that Lecky occasionally riffs on.

It is perhaps Ry Cooder’s The Long Riders that serves as the best reference point for the lost gypsy blues that make up The Union, as this particular American son’s playing is similarly understated, meditative and plaintive. Deeply layered tracks come together, heading to shore, moving persistently. Tangled up in a judicious vine of reverb and intermittent delay, Lecky’s recorded acoustic guitar sounds solid – the timbre of the woods almost thick enough to chop percussively through speakers. When Lecky’s guitar is dry, it’s almost verbal; but when drenched in reverb, there is something religious contained within its generous tonality.

Attempting to place The Union alongside another guitar album seems facile, as there simply seems to be little of its like in existence. Occasionally, when Lecky bends a note just a half step (as he does on the rolling ‘Ausable’ – most likely named after Au Sable, Clinton County, New York), an image of Davy Graham flits briefly across the mind, yet Lecky’s style and delivery here is unique. Where there isn’t the rare bent note to imply emotion, arpeggios fall across each other like children playing amongst autumnal leaves and – between them – single string melodies jut out like pointed rocks: ‘The Chair’ is a prime example of this.

It doesn’t stop there. There is the 10 minutes of ‘Pencil Spin’ to get lost in: a piece that has the warmth of early, experimental Eno as heavily effected electric guitars are beset by stabbing, distorted shards of fuzz that sound like Jimi Hendrix stepping on one of Pan Sonic’s pedals by accident. It’s a gripping piece – again, one in perpetual motion which furthers the implication thatThe Union is ultimately about the evolution of Tom Lecky, the man, amongst Hallock Hill, the surroundings.

The album’s artwork is a picture of waves at Lake Champlain. In recent documentary, The Secret Life Of Waves, David Malone compared the life of a wave to the life of man and found that – in terms of energy – they are not altogether dissimilar. Curiously, it does take a couple of tracks for the album to really motor into life – much like a wave starts from a ripple. ‘On Sundays when I wake up’ closes The Union and is the sound of a man content with his world. Though there is a little chordal work to add density, the piece is mostly memorable for its tumbling series of pull-offs and the digitally reversed licks that Lecky employs on opener, ‘I Began To Lose Myself Within A Wonder’ which brings a cyclical feel to the work. There is something wondrous about this implacable and partly untraceable album. That’s primarily because The Union is rooted in history and biography – permanent treasures of emotion, memory and reflection. Undoubtedly, this isn’t the last word from Hallock Hill, and it will be interesting to see what areas will be explored next as, geographically, Hallock Hill has its boundaries.

The Miller by Hallock Hill by Hundred Acre Recordings

This piece of vinyl’s been sat around my flat for some time now: shrink-wrapped and waiting for my needle to fall into its groove. And I’m pleased I finally found the time to spend with this uplifting, guitar-oriented piece of joy. In parts, the record sounds a little like Bibio, but without the heavy use of electronica. Unlike Bibio, there’s no apparent, conscious focus on the vintage, but the band come through riding on similar waves of ethereal wash. If I was prone to hyperbole (and I sometimes am), I’d say Revelations was a drop dead gorgeous record filled with some of the politest instrumentals you could wish to meet on a Saturday night. If this record was a girl, you’d want to hold her hand, buy her cake, and pray she never left your sight.

That’s not to say this is a record that is full of blithe charm set to sweep you off your feet. There’s just enough implied malice tattooed beneath the skin to prevent Revelations from becoming a sensual exercise in schmaltz. This isn’t the soundtrack to a modern day Woody Allen film. Elements of Daphne Oram style electronics are splashed across its lilting, psych-inspired canvas which serve to make it a far more loved-up and intelligently designed experience compared to anything Allen’s put out in decades.

But let’s get one thing straight: Revelations is not an album filled with wild, earth shattering muscular contractions of noise (à la Mogwai). Rather, the album is a well-mannered concoction of beauty and civility underpinned by restrained menace. The fact that it is borne from Sweden is perhaps telling.

****~ (4/5)

Resurrection is both a mystifying and illogical practise, capable of evading all logic of human understanding. The art of letting go comes buried deep amongst raw grief and sadness. Yet we have a choice to celebrate the dead by continuing to live. But under what circumstance can we exonerate those that dare to exhume dead, forgotten, and decaying bodies?

Within a musical context, the current trend of remastering and re-releasing classic material continues unabated. The process is ultimately a licence to print money poorly concealed as a pure, altruistic dedication to the fans. Or the record is now just being released the way the band would have wanted to hear it, but the technology at the time of recording was lacking. Or the technology now is so vastly improved that it brings out the subtlety of the original tapes so a new generation can appreciate it. Etc.

So, what is the accepted length of time before someone can claim a record is a classic? The vast majority of people would perhaps say a record can be labelled ‘classic’ on first listening. Remember how long it took the NME to deem The Arctic Monkeys’ debut Whatever people say I am, that’s what I’m not’  a classic? It became almost immediately worthy of inclusion in the top 10 of their 100 Best British Albums List. So why did this young, ‘classic’ British group look to California’s Joshua Homme to produce their last record, Humbug?

With Queens Of The Stone Age’s eponymous debut out of print for some time now (it was originally released on RoadRunner back in 1998), Domino Records and Homme’s own label Rekords Rekords have united to re-release the band’s record. The word ‘band’ is a little misleading here as, much like Homme’s Eagles of Death Metal, the album’s content was created by only two people. In this case, it’s Homme and Kyuss drummer Alfredo Hernandez (Homme doubles as the bass player with Nick Oliveri appearing only on a distorted voicemail message to close the album). Not simply a straightforward re-release, this polished, updated version features three bonus tracks from the posthumous Kyuss / QOTSA EP, interspersed amongst the original tracklist, and a full remaster courtesy of Brian Gardner at Bernie Grundman Mastering (Garnder also handled mastering duties for the last Homme vanity project, Them Crooked Vultures).

Early fans of the band that already own the album will want to pick up the new version for the warmer and thicker twin guitars that drive the record. Mercifully, Gardner was not drafted into the loudness war, and keeps the overall volume similar to the original and has selected to carefully boost the thin, upper-mid frequencies whilst retaining many of the original analogue dynamics resulting in an altogether punchier sound. Of the three bonus tracks presented here: ‘The Bronze’ takes the form of a late night trip through the desert ripped on acid; ‘These Aren’t The Droids You’re Looking For’ is a chaotic instrumental featuring spacious signature dropped snares; and the dusty tramp of ‘Spiders and Vinegaroons’ is reminiscent of the early Desert Sessions records and all three are worthy of inclusion. If that isn’t a rarity for re-released packages with exclusive bonus material, I don’t know what is.

Those coming to the album afresh might be a little perturbed by Homme’s wavering vocal on opener ‘Regular John’, but those forgiving enough will be rewarded by this worthy document from the band’s catalogue. If anything, it’s quite possible to argue that this is QOTSA’s finest album. Though songs like ‘If Only’, ‘How To Handle A Rope’ and ‘You Can’t Quit Me Baby’ hint at the band’s MTV friendly capacities, there are heavier and more experimental moments that Homme came to harness throughout his career alongside Oliveri before finally losing grip some time after Songs For The Deaf.

The albums that followed - Lullabies to Paralyze and Era Vulgaris -both displayed a lack of cohesion and an incapacity to reach the harmony of earlier albums, while QOTSA’s live shows sadly became less engaging and less fun with each tour (visible through the Over The Years And Through The Woods DVD). It’s little wonder that Homme finds himself looking to revalidate his early musicianship in order to reassert himself as a snarling, reckless performer and writer. Now a family man, could Homme’s finest Robot Rock moments behind him? In this particular case, it doesn’t matter. Long live the resurrection.

 Avon by Queens of the Stone Age

I’ve included a Spotify list at the end, but it’s not like I could find all these records on the streaming service, so you’ll just have to take a risk on some of them…

Solar Bears – She Was Coloured In

A delightful delivery from Planet Mu, the Irish duo with a name from a Sci-Fi film have concocted a slab of electronica spliced by ambience and guitars. Much stronger than their Inner Sunshine EP that dropped earlier in the year as a lead up to the album’s release, She Was Coloured In is a dramatic, cinematic, analogue adventure well worth exploring.

Black Dog – Real music for airports

Airports ‘aint what they used to be, or so intones this warm album of whispered, deathly ambience juxtaposed with snappy beats. Undoubtedly an update on Brian Eno‘s classic Music For Airports, this album records how time spent within these vacuous spaces of travel have changed. Fully worth investing your money in, take this with you for the next time you’re held at JFK for an inordinate amount of time.

Celph Titled & Buckwild – Nineteen Ninety Now

The nineties return with this lyrically tight album from Cuban MC, Celph Titled. Beats come from Buckwild with transformer scratches from X-Ecutioner Mista Sinista. Sounding like Ugly Duckling in places, the upbeat hip-hop is ultimately a tribute to the golden era of hip-hop, and that’s exemplified on the soulful cut, ‘Miss Those Days’. True, true.

Motorpsycho – Heavy Metal Fruit

Norwegian madness from this rock outfit. Heavy Metal Fruit has a great sense of ‘60s boogie and progressive ‘70s jazz. There are parts of the record that make me feel like I could have been at Woodstock if it wasn’t for the fact that I wasn’t even born then. ‘Gullible’s Travails’, the longest track here, clocks in at 20 minutes – and it’s worth the price of the album alone.

Philip Jeck – An Ark For The Listener

A relatively new discovery for me. Jeck’s music is seemingly from other worlds, created by mixing old records in a unique fashion: a turntablist that wouldn’t go down especially well at the DMC finals. Somewhat pretentiously composed as a meditation on a poem (‘The Wreck Of The Deutschland’), An Ark For The Listener is both haunting and fascinating.

Kanye West – My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

What do you say to the man who says it all about himself? Nothing. Truly, Yeezy has dumbfounded naysayers and critics; wallowing in self deprecation and aggrandization of levels that have surely made Eminem sick. Tracks like ‘Gorgeous’ and ‘Runaway’ haven’t left my mind since I first heard them. Yeezy does it.

Forest Swords – Dagger Paths

Picked this up some time way back in April, but only really paid attention as the year began to close. That’s a bit of a shame, as I’ve managed to waste a lot of time that I could have spent with this reverb-soaked, drone-folk slice of pop. It’s probably the most ‘indie’ record I’ve chosen this year – and that’s only because of the sound of the guitars. A very cool record indeed.

Oneohtrix Point Never – Returnal

I’ve no doubt that many people will have slotted Emeralds‘ Does It Look Like I’m Here in there top slots, but I just couldn’t get along with the album as a whole. OPN, however, is a very different matter. Forgoing the the opening dirt of ‘Nil Admirari’, this is one of the warmest and illuminating synth-based albums to own for 2010.

Demdike Stare - Forest Of Evil, Voices Of Dust, and Liberation Through Hearing.

Three albums in a year sounds somewhat excessive by any standards, but all three records offer an unusual take on hauntology and British music traditions. All three albums present challenges to the ears, but are intriguing explorations nonetheless. In places, the records sound like Philip Jeck writing for the Ghost Box label in the rain.

Barn Owl – Ancestral Star

More experimentation, but with guitars – rock guitars! When the group aren’t drifting on a sea of blues-inflected drone, they’re casting off tradition for a myriad of pedals and psychedelia. It’s made all the better by ‘Cavern Hymn’ which sounds like it was influenced by Ry Cooder‘s Texas. Stunning, cinematic stuff.

Honourable Mention.

Wrong Tom v Roots Manuva - Duppy Writer

I can’t really include this as an original, as it is essentially a remix album. Though based in the history of reggae and dub, Wrongtom’s compositions are so strikingly original that Duppy Writer is now officially my favourite Roots Manuva album. Oh, and the artwork is amazing.

Spotify Playlist: The Best Albums of 2010.

Possibly due to the poor rate of return to the artist, not all my choices are on the streaming service. I did manage to find 20 of the 31, though, so it’s not all bad. Click the image to go to the playlist, listen, and then go and buy these brilliant records.

Janelle Monae – The ArchAndroid

After reading Jude Clarke’s review of this over at MusicOMH, I ordered this immediately and have not been disappointed since. A truly eclectic album (concept too, apparently – but I don’t see that), it owes as much to Bowie as it does to Black American musical traditions.

The Sword – Warp Riders

Riffs. Huge, metal shards of riffs slicing into the solid rock of the ‘70s and rolling through the hills, far and away. From the retro artwork right down to the rollicking content, this is for lovers of Kill em all era Metallica and The Atomic Bitchwax. It’s a bit like like ZZ Top met Pantera and got wild.

Ital Tek – Midnight Colour

Midnight Colour – for me – covers many of the grey areas within bass music. From garage to traditional dubstep, Ital Tek’s latest delivery for the solid Planet Mu brings a glacial warmth reflected by its artwork.

Cloubeck – From which the river rises

Richard Skelton again. I mean, with just two pieces across his entire album, you can get lost within ‘The water’s burden’ and wonder if you’ll ever feel the same again. If From Which The River Rises were a drug, Withnail’s dealer, Danny, would think twice about taking it.

elephant9 – Walk The Nile

Mad prog jazz. That’s what this trio of Northern Light lovers would appear to do best. When I heard this, it melted my mind. Brilliantly executed and spectrally wild – I love its effusive tones, and anachronistic arrangements. Supersilent boys deliver again.

Oriol – Night and day

Pop. Sugary, neon, chillwave. Oh, Chillwave. What the fuck is chillwave? Night and Day was ascribed this particular tag, and I still don’t get it. Yes, it’s melodic and a bit predictable, but it’s a solid dance album isn’t it? Is that chillwave? Whatever, it fits well with Planet Mu’s output.

Rene Hell – Porcelain Opera

Loveliness from the iconic Type records. I can’t keep track of all the stuff label leader John Twells puts out every year, but I know that this is another one (Landings is also on Type) off his label that had me enraptured. The tonality, and generous wash is juxtaposed with jarring digital curios. Lovely artwork too. Though I can’t get with every Type release (Yellow Swans for example), they continue to release some of the most adventurous work around.

Ceephax Acid Crew – United Acid Emirates

Andy Jenkinson killed off 8-bit music at the start of the year with this great slab of vinyl – another from Planet Mu. Built for the rave generation and those that like woollen jumpers, United Acid Emirates is fun, dumb and exuberant digital noise.

Cappo – Genghis

Along with Ty and Stig Of The Dump, there’s been some decent UK hip-hop dropped this year. But this, for me, is the pick of the bunch. Created by one of the most underrated MCs, this could well be the pinnacle recording from the Nottingham born. Cinematic, hard and lyrical: everything good hip-hop should be.

Arandel – In D

In D is an eclectic mix of electronic avant-garde noise, classical composition and minimal techno. It’s an exciting, occasionally intoxicating and spirited album that owes as much to the spirit of its influences as it does to the desired mystery of its creator.