I previously compiled a Top 20 for the years 2000-2009, but I've waylaid that list. I most have a better look around. I'm sure there are albums I got into from period after those years passed. He he he...not that I'll be revisiting that anytime soon(ish).
Anyway, before I get down to listing, here are a clutch of albums from the 2010s (the teens?) that I really dug, but didn't quite make the cut. Enjoyable as they all are, I enjoyed others, um, more. So, the honourable mentions are, in no particular order:
Higher Truth CHRIS CORNELL (2015)
Tempest BOB DYLAN (2012)
Wasting Light FOO FIGHTERS (2014)
Queen of Denmark JOHN GRANT (2010)
Ghosteen NICK CAVE & THE BAD SEEDS (2019)
Man Woman Life Death Infinity THE CHURCH (2017)
Tales from the Realm of the Queen of Pentacles SUZANNE VEGA (2014)
Only Sparrows JOSH PYKE (2011)
Out of the Game RUFUS WAINWRIGHT (2012)
1989 TAYLOR SWIFT (2014)
Destroyer of the Void BLITZEN TRAPPER (2010)
Tempest BOB DYLAN (2012)
Wasting Light FOO FIGHTERS (2014)
Queen of Denmark JOHN GRANT (2010)
Ghosteen NICK CAVE & THE BAD SEEDS (2019)
Man Woman Life Death Infinity THE CHURCH (2017)
Tales from the Realm of the Queen of Pentacles SUZANNE VEGA (2014)
Only Sparrows JOSH PYKE (2011)
Out of the Game RUFUS WAINWRIGHT (2012)
1989 TAYLOR SWIFT (2014)
Destroyer of the Void BLITZEN TRAPPER (2010)
So, let's get down to business! I'm going to list the albums from twenty to one, because I like it that way. Why not, hey?20. Fear Inoculum TOOL (2019)
While I'm not the biggest Tool fan in the world, I was quite interested in hearing the album that took 13 years to arrive. As I'd agreed to go and see them live with a dear friend of mine, I felt that I should give it a few decent spins before their concert on Valentine's Day this year. I actually wanted to immerse myself in their new record, so rather than stream it on Spotify or anything, I waited until I could get a physical copy. The initial release of the album in August last year was a limited edition that included a four inch HD rechargeable screen, a 2 watt speaker, a USB charging cable, three bonus digital tracks, a 36 page book... and a price tag of $150. So, I waited in hope for some sort of "regular" release on CD.
The next version of Fear Inoculum dropped in December. This time around the album was an 'expanded book edition' that included five 3D lenticular cards and a 56 page booklet... with a cost of $90. A little more affordable, but still a lot of money for one album. Thankfully I had some birthday vouchers come to my rescue (thanks, fam!). I'd heard the first two tracks already, but still wanted to take the album in as a whole. Interestingly, the CD release is about six or seven minutes shorter than the digital album available on streaming platforms. So, four instrumental tracks were removed to fit the CD format. I have yet to hear these.
But I digress! My first listen was in the car and took one trip to a gig and back, and another journey to a gig to get through the eighty minute album. I kinda enjoyed it, but I wanted to try again and listen to it in one sitting. A day or so later, I took myself into our outside room/office/studio and listened to the album while thumbing through the booklet and reading the lyrics. Yes, the songs are long, and yes they are all similarly structured (bar Danny Carey's drumming showcase Chocolate Chip Trip), but they're very well presented and performed. I drifted towards Pneuma being my favourite track from the album. Then it was 7empest.
After seeing them live (which was pretty amazing) I really started getting into Fear Inoculum, particularly the songs they performed. I keep coming back to Invincible now as my album pick, but after repeated listens, I have come to really dig this record. It's arguably one of their most focused efforts, and while it may not be blessed with an immediate and obvious appeal, there are many treasures waiting to reveal themselves. I've spoken with a couple of people who don't rate the new record compared to their earlier work, but I think it's one of their best. Awesome album!
I've been a big fan of Neil Young for many years. I was exposed to his music from an early age, as my dad had pretty much all of his records on vinyl. I didn't really get into Neil's music until my early twenties, but when I did, I went down the rabbithole with a vengeance. My enthusiasm for Neil's work hit a high around 1999/2000 with the release of CSNY's Looking Forward album and his wonderful solo effort Silver & Gold. The latter's title track has become a very special song for me over the years, as my wife Rhona and I adopted it as one of 'our songs'. We even named our acoustic duo after it. Back in those days I was also very involved in Neil Young fan websites, swapping bootleg concert recordings and rarities from people all over the world. I was one of those people waiting for that long-promised archives box set, and delighted in a fan's self-made compilation of unreleased tracks titled ABD2000 (Archives Be Damned 2000). That set eventually dropped in 2009, but only spanned 1963-1972, with the somewhat promising title of The Archives Vol. 1. Worried about the musical quality of mp3s, CDs or even Blu-ray discs, Neil has now continued his release of archive material online, utilising high-quality streaming files. So, no second volume was ever released.
But I digress! Again. I was lucky enough to see Neil and Crazy Horse in Melbourne during November 2003, when they toured their Greendale album. Rhona and I met my dad over there and we hung out for a coupla days after taking in the concert together. We caught Neil again (sans Horse) at the Perth Big Day Out in 2009 and our last live experience with him was at Perth Arena (with the Horse) on the Alchemy tour in 2013. That show featured a few performances from this album, which was the first original record Neil had released with the Horse since 2003. It's also Neil's only double studio album, and in my view, one of his last great records.
Admittedly, I've been a little haphazard with Neil over the last decade. There are a couple of albums missing from my collection from 2013, but being a subscriber to NYA, my need to own all of his work has lessened somewhat. Some of his newer albums I've only spun once or twice as well. But, I really dig this offering. The opening track Driftin' Back nudges the twenty-eight minute mark as Neil sings in a style reminiscent of the 1979 classic Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black): "Hey now now, hey now now/I'm driftin' back/Dreaming about the way things sound now/". Classic Neil Young with plenty of soloing and rants about mp3s and mass production. It might even be the longest song in his catalog. Other highlights for me include Born In Ontario, Twisted Road, the title track (possibly the alternate mix) and the sixteen minute epic Walk Like a Giant. A special shout-out to Ramada Inn which also hits the sixteen minute mark, and tells the tale of a couple struggling to stay connected as their relationship sours. I haven't heard last year's Colorado yet (slow off the mark these days), but this is one of my favourite albums from Neil Young, with or without Crazy Horse, this century.
18. Lonely Avenue BEN FOLDS & NICK HORNBY (2010)
What a great concept. I've loved Ben Folds for many years, but must confess that I've never read a Nick Hornby book. I have enjoyed several movies based on his novels though. So, the idea here was that Ben took some prose and poems from Nick and put them to music. Some worked better than others, but when they did work, man, they really worked. I rate some of the songs on this album among Folds' best. The heartbreak and regret of the narrator in the closing track Belinda, is almost as perfect as a song gets. Indeed the cover art features an email to Nick from Ben announcing he'd 'cracked the code' as far as making the song work after slaving over it for so long.
The material moves from the mildly amusing (album opener A Working Day), to the heartbreaking (Picture Window), to the philosophical (From Above, featuring Australia's own Kate Miller-Heidke) to the slightly outlandish (Saskia Hamilton). Folds' distinctive vocal style and pop sensibilities shine through, but it's Hornby's words that set this album apart from Folds' other offerings. The closing lines of Password seem Folds-esque, but the reluctant defeat in the narrator's acceptance of his ended relationship is more akin to Rob from High Fidelity: "I don't know you/I thought I did but I don't/I wasn't listening to the right things/One day I won't even remember your face".
While some tracks are certainly better than others, the good more than outweighs the bad and the set works well as an album. It doesn't feel like ten years since this was released, but there you are. Can't argue with time.
Paul's 23rd studio album is an absolute gem. Bizarrely, it's the first record in his forty odd year career that has hit the top of the charts, debuting at No.1 on its release. Containing a very strong collection of songs, it's hard to pick a standout, and so many feels! The rollicking Firewood and Candles gets your foot tapping, but Petrichor almost threatens to have you crying in your beer. Featuring the talents of Peter 'Lucky' Luscombe on drums, Bill McDonald on bass, Ashley Naylor on guitar, Cameron Bruce on keys, this album's production is first-rate. Add to that mix the transcendent vocals of Vika and Linda Bull, and you've got something really special.
Both sisters get a song to sing lead on as well, and although I don't mind Vika's bash at My Man's Got a Cold, it's one of the weakest tracks on the album, in my opinion. Linda's go at Don't Explain however, is one of my favourite moments. Having heard the original on Paul's Live May, 1992 shortly after its release, I was intrigued that it hadn't popped up on any of his studio albums. As it's from a woman's point of view, it works much better with Linda singing lead.
Other highlights for me include Josephina, Letter In The Rain and the short, but very sweet title track. When the album finishes you're left with a warm feeling after having experienced one of Australia's best singer/songwriters expressing emotions and stories at the top of his game. It's not a concept album, but it takes you on a journey.
16. Skeleton Tree NICK CAVE & THE BAD SEEDS (2016)
Messrs Cave & Seeds have released some amazing albums this century, and their sixteenth studio effort is quite different from their previous work. There are strange time signatures, atonal melodies, electronic loops and loud synths. This was the second Cave album to move away from character-driven stories and fables, and was recorded following the tragic death of his son Arthur. Although the majority of material was written before Arthur's sad passing, there are themes of loss and grief throughout the record.
With that knowledge, it can be a difficult listen. On my first spin, the penultimate track Distant Sky absolutely broke me, and I couldn't listen to the song without crying for many subsequent listens. Featuring vocals by Danish soprano singer Else Torp, the lyrics of the chorus just tear through you, soaked in sadness: "Let us go now, my darling companion/Set out for the distant skies". The following verse, sung by Cave, is even weightier: "They told us that our gods would outlive us/But they lied". The most amazing part of this album is that after this heart-wrenching song comes the uplifting title track which hits you like a breath of fresh air. Both of those highlights round off the record with a 1-2 punch of despair and relief. It is quite an emotional journey.The rest of Skeleton Tree is not without these feelings either. At times Cave is singing with such detachment that you could believe that the words are merely exiting him, whereas on other songs he is riddled with passion. The haunting opening track Jesus Alone has him reciting couplets describing seemingly random characters with all the emotion of a stair banister to chilling effect. In stark contrast, I Need You has Cave almost pleading for his love to be taken seriously against an unusually electronic wash of keyboards and loops.
Although the last two tracks are my biggest highlights, I find the whole album to be quite sublime, and it was a 'go-to' for me on many occasions whilst driving home from Northbridge at 1:30am. As with 2013's excellent Push The Sky Away, Warren Ellis' loops form the skeleton housing the rest of the musical body. Indeed his importance in the band has grown steadily since joining in the early nineties, and his position as Nick's right hand man is cemented. From the delicate twinkle permeating Rings of Saturn to the ominous drone pulsing through Jesus Alone to the frantic skipping sounds of Anthrocene, you can't imagine this album existing without him. Each member of the Bad Seeds brings something to the table, and as the various musicians come and go, the line-up changes have a profound effect on the sound, and the material. Compare this album with to their 1984 debut From Her to Eternity, and you realise that the only factor really linking them is Cave's voice. He's also the only member of the band still in the line-up; so there's that. Anyway, this is a big favourite of mine, and witnessing a lot of this material performed in the Distant Sky live movie at Luna Cinema in Leederville was a borderline religious experience for me.
15. Happiness and Surrounding Suburbs BALL PARK MUSIC (2011)While on holiday with the family on the Gold Coast in May 2012, Rhona and stumbled across a film clip of It's Nice To Be Alive. We'd never heard of Ball Park Music before, but we both fell in love with the song straight away. I think we even sought out a copy of the album while we were over there. Something about the band's bright pop, mixed with humour and a little cynicism, seemed quite refreshing. We'd kinda drifted away from modern music, so to hear something new that we liked (AND was Australian too!) was quite exciting.
Like It's Nice To Be Alive, there are many songs on this record that stand up to repeated listens. The hilarious acronym iFly belies a much cheekier song title and one of the catchiest tunes on offer. Its opening lines are indicative of the quirk and comic themes that permeate throughout: "I was a very normal night, I was attending a party/And I had many different drinks of sweet fermented fruits". Short, and to the point, Sad Rude Future Dude offers a wry warning of technology and masturbation and Rich People Are Stupid is almost anthemic with its big poppy chorus.
Chief songwriter and lead singer Sam Cromack has a delivery that may annoy some, but it is perfect for this material. The way his voice blends with bassist Jennifer Boyce's backing vocals is also very aurally pleasing; particularly on songs like Glass Jar and All I Want Is You. Another big highlight for me is the closing track, oddly (but somehow, appropriately) named Happy Healthy Citizen Of The Developed World Blues which also cleverly intertwines lyrics and melody from opening track Literally Baby into its coda. Bizarrely, we were lucky enough to see the Brisbane quintet on a couple of occasions live in the space of a month: once at Southbound 2013 and a few weeks later when they supported Weezer at Perth Arena. While we have several of their subsequent albums, it's this one that we come to. Although their sophomore record Museum also has some great tracks as well.
14. A Deeper Understanding THE WAR ON DRUGS (2017)I hadn't heard anything by The War On Drugs until a glowing review of this album encouraged me to take the plunge. I'm sure glad I did, because I loved this almost instantly! From the opening notes of Up All Night, I felt that I was hooked. Lead singer and songwriter Adam Granduciel has a very Dylan-esque delivery which I dug straight away as well.
With an average song length of six minutes, this isn't a speedy spin. You have to let it all wash over you and just float along. As dreamy as the music can be, sometimes there are stabbing guitars that shake you out of the daze a bit. A wonderful synth-pop production with sweeping keyboard lines and catchy vocal hooks. The album's shortest song, Knocked Down, is a fine ballad of unrequited love which is possibly also the easiest listen.
Other highlights for me include Pain, In Chains and the wondrous Strangest Thing, which features a truly memorable instrumental section complete with a searing guitar solo during the reprise at the song's end. The eleven minute Thinking of a Place is another fantastic tracks, and although it's the longest one on the record, it doesn't feel like it is. It never outstays its welcome, and takes its time setting up the mood and feel. Perfect for a night drive.
I still haven't delved back into the band's previous works, and this record is their fourth studio effort. So, maybe I will one day, but I have a feeling that this is a bit of a departure from their early releases. In any event, this is an excellent album that has won many spins from me. I just discovered that this won Best Rock Album at the 2018 Grammys too; so... kudos to the group.
13. Port of Morrow THE SHINS (2012)
From that time forward I was quite aware of The Shins, as I would get the odd track of theirs on a mixed CD from a friend or a lend of an album of theirs. We've all heard New Slang hundreds of times, but you probably still love it, like me. Or not, he he he.
This is the fourth album from The Shins and the first since the original line-up disbanded in 2009. Only frontman James Mercer remained, but it certainly didn't hurt the music. Well, not on this record anyway. I rate this higher than their previous three efforts, as it works better as an album than the others. There's something more cohesive going on with these tracks, and former Shins Marty Crandall (keys) and Dave Hernandez (guitar) also contribute to a few songs.
I love the sound of this album. There's an eighties aesthetic there, but also a hint of seventies electronica, mixed in with a very noughties overall production. Favourites for me include For a Fool, Simple Song and the jaunty (and apparently semi-autobiographical) Fall of '82. I also really dig 40 Mark Strasse and the wonderful September. The weakest moments for me are album opener The Rifle's Spiral and the closing title track. Not that they really detract from the overall album experience, but my highlights are in the filling, not the crusts. It's a great record to put on and just forget about, as you enjoy the soundtrack going about your day.
12. Stranger Things, Vol. 1 KYLE DIXON & MICHAEL STEIN (2016)
For anyone who watched Stranger Things on Netflix when it appeared out of nowhere back in 2016, you'd know that the music was another exceptional factor of what made the show so great. The choice of eighties music for the soundtrack was pretty damn awesome, but the original score by Survive band members Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein was nothing short of brilliant. Imbibing electronica scores from the likes of Tangerine Dream, Wendy Carlos and Cliff Martinez, the music this duo created add to the feel of the series as well as the era in which it's set.
What I really enjoyed about this album, was that several pieces of music took me back to scenes from the show. Hanging Lights appropriately conjures up images of Joyce Byers stringing up the globes around her house, trying to find a way to communicate with her missing son, Will. Eleven watching TV alone in the Wheeler household is relived while I listen to Lay-Z-Boy and the boys riding their bikes through the streets is encapsulated inside Kids. This certainly isn't an album for casual listening though. You can get lost in the electro-pop bliss of A Kiss, but then get totally freaked out by the thudding Fresh Blood.
But anyway, this first volume of the score of Stranger Things is pretty damn good. So many emotions encased inside! You've got wonder, fear, joy, dread, whimsy and even curiousity. I love to throw the odd song from this album into a playlist and it acts like an awesome sorbet of sorts. Dig it!
11. The Suburbs ARCADE FIRE (2010)
I was put onto this album by my great mate Kieran, who basically threw the CD at me and told me to listen to it. I had heard of the Canadian indie band (and knew that Bowie was a fan), but had never listened to track one. As is the way with these things, it languished at my house for some time before I actually gave it a spin. Drawn from the experiences of brothers Win and William Butler's childhood in Texas, The Suburbs shines a light on the mundane and ordinary in quite a compelling way. As Tim Rogers did in Australia with You Am I's Hourly, Daily album in 1996, Arcade Fire don't preach or offer up solutions, they just present the goings-on. There is some comparison between then and now, particularly on the stunning We Used To Wait. I love how the lyrics detail a childhood where walking around killing time was the done thing. You'd write letters and eagerly await the reply to hit your letterbox. Now, not so much.
The galloping charge of Ready to Start prepares you for the coming sonic onslaught. Not that it's heavy, per se, but things get loud. The baffling time signature of the fantastic Modern Man (7/4? 9/8? I'm not sure) adds to its appeal and not knowing what Rococo means doesn't seem to matter either. The punkish Month of May is another album highlight, as is City With No Children.
Arguably, the record's centrepiece and crowning jewel is Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains). Régine Chassagne's fantastic vocal delivery is married perfectly to the pseudo-eighties electro production. It comes off as sounding like an experiment between Kate Bush and Howard Jones that went horribly right. Lamenting urban growth, the song paints a vivid picture of empty lots becoming shopping centres and then rotting away to shells of what once was: "Sometimes I wonder if the world's so small/Then we can never get away from the sprawl". That need for darkness after being assaulted by neon lights is so heartfelt as well. Régine and Win's voices entwine brilliantly together when they share lead or harmonise, particularly on the frenetic Empty Room.
This is a great album that stands up to repeated listens, revealing more on each spin. Although it sags a little in the middle, it starts with a bang and always remains interesting until the last note.
10. But For All These Shrinking Hearts JOSH PYKE (2015)Rhona and I have been big fans of Josh Pyke for many years, and have seen him perform live around twelve or thirteen times. His 2007 debut album Memories & Dust remains my favourite long player, but this is my favourite effort of Pyke's this century, just ahead of 2011's Only Sparrows.
Like Pyke's debut, nearly every song on this album is killer. Getting off to a great start with Book of Revelations he lays out the theme for what is a fairly introspective affair: "So baby I'd be horrified to find/I'd been the thorn in your side all this time". He follows that up with the bouncy Songlines, which just makes you feel like you're on a roadtrip with your favourite person.
The album's first single There's a Line is quite different from Pyke's usual acoustic folk rock motif, as it features a fairly prominent electronic loop. Took me a while to warm to that, and initially made me wary of the album to follow. I needn't have worried. Some of my favourite songs of Pyke's are on this record. The ridiculously catchy Be Your Boy is a track that I could almost listen to continuously. Hollering Hearts is a lovely piece of pop fluff and When Your Colours Go is everything a good folk pop rock ballad should be.
I love the theme of the album's penultimate song Doing What You're Told as well. Such a great song, with lyrics we can all relate to: "There is no fire that don't desire a little burn/So what's the point in always doing what you're told". I feel that this song really should have ended the album. It has a wonderful build, and an excellent coda that feels like a full stop. When Someone To Rust With starts off, it almost seems an intrusion. Minor quibble, but there it is.
I'm very interested to see what Pyke has in store for us next, as new singles have popped up on Spotify and the promise of a full album is looming. Thanks for the tunes, Josh!
9. Morning Phase BECK (2014)
I like a lot of Beck's music. His Odelay! album gets a lot of play in this house, and I love Mutations too. I quite enjoyed what he did with Colours; very bright upbeat numbers, that came dangerously close to being overproduced, but still worked. A couple of his songs turned up on JJJ Hot 100 compilations that I also really dug, namely Girl and Nausea, but I think I prefer him in this mode. The album's second tune (after the 40 second instrumental Cycle) Morning is very similar to The Golden Age, in both mood and pace. The two tracks share a lovely sense of calm that just washes over me. I love them both very much, and they're 'go to' tracks for when I need to relax for a few minutes.
Being a mostly acoustic affair, Morning Phase is perfect listening for those mellow moments, be it early morning or late night. It's full of great songs that you're able to hum or sing along with pretty quickly. Favourites of mine include Blackbird Chain, Heart is a Drum and the sublime Country Down. Like Sea Change, it stands up to repeated listens, and even offers something new with each spin. It's a simpler affair to the former, and if I had one criticism it's the two instrumental pieces. I don't think they add anything to the album, and I feel the start would benefit from kicking off with Morning. Wonderful stuff though!
8. Antiphon MIDLAKE (2013)
Something unusual happened to Midlake when they were in the middle of recording their fourth album. In November 2012, their lead singer, and main songwriter, Tim Smith decided to leave the group. That could have been the death knell for both the album and the band, but they decided to carry on with guitarist Eric Pulido taking over on lead vocals. Scrapping what was already recorded, the group recruited occasional members Joey McClellan and Jesse Chandler into the permanent lineup and started all over again.
The opening title track perfectly sets up what you're in for...this isn't the Midlake of albums past. It's a little noisier, the keyboards have returned, and Eric's voice isn't as 'pretty' as Tim's. That's not a bad thing though. The stacked harmonies are great, the tunes are fab and for the most part, the production's right on (sorry for the nick, Grandaddy). According to a definition I found online, an antiphon is a short chant sung or recited before or after a psalm. As someone who sees music as something of a religion, I can understand why the band chose the word for their first album, and song, without Tim Smith.
The first half of Antiphon is quite strong, with excellent tracks like The Old and the Young, It's Going Down and Provider; the latter getting a reprise at the album's close. The only real misstep for me, is the meandering instrumental Vale, which jumps from mellow to noisy with no real merit. Another big highlight for me is This Weight, which features some great harmonies that are reminiscent of their earlier sound, but sans Tim.
So, while quite different from their two previous releases, I found this album to be a terrific listen. One of the few examples where a band undergoes a fairly major change, but manages to succeed in moving forward. This is still the most recent album they have released, with Eric Pulido releasing a solo record under the moniker E.B. the Younger. Here's hoping they have something new to share soon.
7. ★ DAVID BOWIE (2016)Released on Bowie's 69th birthday, this would prove to be his final album, passing away from liver cancer only two days later. After his death, it was revealed that ★ was created as a parting gift to his many fans. Having bought the CD on the day of its release, the album suddenly took on a whole new meaning with the news of Bowie's passing.
I had resisted watching the video for the title track, which was dropped a few months before the record, as I wanted to take in the whole thing at once. Of the seven tracks, I was surprised to see that two of the songs were previously released, albeit different versions. The first of those tracks, 'Tis a Pity She Was a Whore, was the B-side of the other and has an almost industrial feel on here. This is arguably the weakest moment on the record, but that's probably only because the rest is so strong. The second of the pair is Sue (Or in a Season of Crime), which first surfaced in November 2014 on the excellent Nothing Has Changed compilation. Shaved down from its original seven and a half minute track length by nearly three minutes, Sue isn't as jazzy as it once was, but is still quite a haunting tale, and quite a unique entry in Bowie's bank of songs.
Getting back to the title track, it's possibly the longest song in Bowie's catalog since Station to Station's ten minute opener. It's not surprising to learn that the song started off as two separate pieces, and were then stitched together to startling effect. The way the song segues between to two movements is very clever, and it's not only one of my favourite songs on this album, it's one of my favourite Bowie songs as well.
The eerily prophetic Lazarus is probably the song that hits the hardest, particularly when you watch the video clip. Opening with the words "Look at me, I'm in heaven", Bowie's death proved this was closer to truth than we all once thought. Another big highlight for me, and I dig the saxophone play out at the end. I'm also quite a fan of Girl Loves Me, which employs the use of Nadsat language, created by Anthony Burgess for the gang members in his book A Clockwork Orange. It's fun to hear Bowie drop the F-bomb too.
The closing track is one of the most apt final songs on any album. As this record, and indeed his life, comes to an end, Bowie all but bares his soul on I Can't Give Everything Away. As much as he's given to his fans, there is still a part of him that remains his own. He even ponders how he has been studied and scrutinised over the years: "Seeing more and feeling less/Saying no but meaning yes/That's all I ever meant/That's the message that I sent".
It can be a difficult listen at times, as it was created to be his final album. Forever the chameleon, it is quite different from 2013's fairly straightforward The Next Day, and it was revealed that he was listening to a lot of Kendrick Lamar during the recording process. Hints of jazz, industrial, art rock and even some experimental ideas permeate this record. A fitting last chapter for one of music's most defiant and innovative stars.
6. Spring and Fall PAUL KELLY (2012)
PK makes a second appearance on this list, and with good reason. This is a truly wonderful album that I have played umpteen times since its release. There's a loose concept tying these songs together, as the marvellous opening track New Found Year celebrates a couple who are in the early stages of their relationship. Throughout the album, this love deteriorates and the spring at the start of the record descends into the fall.
The next two tracks also celebrate love, with When a Woman Loves a Man looking through the lady's eyes, and For the Ages from the fella's point of view. There are bumps along with way, as shown in Sometimes My Baby and Cold As Canada. The sombre Someone New has the song's narrator wishing to cheat on his lover without wrecking the relationship, choosing to disappear into fantasy every day.
By the album's end, a reconciliation seems to be on the cards with I'm Still On Your Side, but things have really hit the skids with the not-so-subtle None Of Your Business Now. The final track, Little Aches and Pains is one of my favourite Paul Kelly songs of all time. The lyrics are just fantastic, as this introspective ballad has Kelly pondering the current point of his life: "I have found that what you don't know WILL hurt you/And what doesn't kill you makes you weaker".
Armed with his trusty regular drummer Pete Luscombe and his brother Dan Luscombe on the piano, Kelly also enlisted Greg "J" Walker (of Machine Translations fame) on the upright bass and other instruments. Paul's nephew Dan Kelly is also on harmony vocals and guitar, even co-writing three of the tracks. Add in a few other guest musicians, including the wonderful Bull sisters, and you've got quite a family affair, with a quite a relaxed, stripped-back feel.
As it was Paul's first studio album of original material since 2007's Stolen Apples, this was a much anticipated release! For me, at least, he he he. This is a great record to put on and just leave in the background while you kick back with friends or loved ones. It's also a good one to lose yourself in, and just get absorbed by the stories and images.
5. Helplessness Blues FLEET FOXES (2011)
I was a little late to the Fleet Foxes party. I initially dismissed them as hipster folk wannabes, but I stumbled across He Doesn't Know Why playing in a pub on the inhouse video-tainment. I really loved their harmonies, and their reverb-saturated vocals seemed to create a new aural landscape for me. I know that annoys some, but I dug it. I went back to their first album and listened to it a lot. There's some songs on that record that I could happily listen to over and over again.
I'm pretty sure around that time their second album, Helplessness Blues, had just been released. I got myself a copy of that and promptly ignored it. For whatever reason it took me ages to actually listen to it. Once I did, it hooked me in. It's quite similar in vibe to their 2008 debut album, but a little slicker, in a good way. They have kept their indie folky poppy feel, but refined it somehow.
On the first few listens it was Sim Sala Bim and Battery Kinzie that really appealed to me. While I still dig those tracks, further spins revealed more gems. The wonderfully laid-back Lorelai is so catchy that you start singing along almost immediately. Opening track Montezuma is a slow burn, and one that rewards repeated listens. There's some lovely minimalist ballads in Blue Spotted Tail and Someone You'd Admire as well.
However, it's the title track that absolutely slays me. It starts off quite soft and stripped back. You nearly have to turn it up when it begins, because it seems like the volume level has dipped. A song of two halves, the opening section is quite introspective as lead singer and band songwriter Robin Peckold grapples with his world weariness: "If I know only one thing, it's that everything that I see/Of the world outside is so inconceivable often I barely can speak". I love that someone put the word 'inconceivable' into a song too, he he he. Once the second part lifts up, the volume increases and the harmonies sweep in, and with them a fuller musical arrangement. It's glorious.
The only track I struggle with is The Shrine/An Argument which starts off strong, but descends into some sort of woodwind cacophony. I guess it's the 'argument' section of the song. I understand the artistic intent, but it's a little hard on the ears. It does, however, make the aforementioned Blue Spotted Tail even sweeter and a welcome relief. The fab closing track Grown Ocean also gains a celebratory "that's all folks, thanks for listening" sentiment which seems like an aural reward as well. For those who dig trivia, this is only Fleet Foxes album to feature Josh Tillman on the drums. He would leave the band in 2012 to pursue a solo career as Father John Misty.
4. Random Access Memories DAFT PUNK (2013)While I've never been the biggest Daft Punk fan, I always knew they were around. Who could escape earworms like One More Time and Around the World? I think it was my son Lachlan stumbling across a video of someone dancing to Harder, Better, Faster Stronger on YouTube that kicked off the Daft Punk thing in our house. I ended up finding other versions of the dance for him, most of them employing the words written on peoples' hands or legs or other (G-rated) body parts.
I remember being hugely impressed by the Tron: Legacy soundtrack that Daft Punk scored, so that was possibly the first CD of theirs I bought. Maybe. He he he, I acquired copies of all the albums for Lachlan to trawl through (including Daft Club and the Alive records) and eventually got Homework and Discovery on CD too. It was quite cool giving him Alive 1997 on vinyl for his 11th birthday. Anyway, as Lachlan and I made our way through the Daft Punk catalog we gravitated towards different sounds of their spectrum. He really dug the robotic effects and voices on Human After All and I loved the melodic and catchy hooks of Discovery. Random Access Memories seems to marry both of these elements together, so we found common ground on this one, he he he.
Despite the French duo being on the scene for over fifteen years, this is only their fourth official album. This record also employs more musicians and real playing than their previous releases, harking back to the funk and dance numbers of the seventies and eighties; as hinted at by the fabulous lettering in the album artwork. You have classic session players like Nathan East, Omar Hakim, John Robinson and Nile Rodgers on the same record as Pharrell Williams, Todd Edwards and Julian Casablancas (The Strokes). What a bizarre mix of musos! And that's not even half of the people on the album.
Casablancas sings lead on Instant Crush, which is one of the best songs on offer here. Innovative producer and songwriter Giorgio Moroder performs a fascinating monologue on his roots in Giorgio By Moroder before the band hit the hyperdrive switch on a very Moroder-esque instrumental play-out. While Get Lucky was the monster hit single from the album, I find the other track featuring Pharrell, Lose Yourself To Dance, a more enjoyable listen. Panda Bear's lively contributions to the late-night party anthem Doin' It Right make it joyously infectious and Paul Williams' heartfelt vocal delivery on Touch is sublime.
Daft Punk's duo behind the masks, Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo, certainly raised the bar with this one. Unlike previous albums, there's no song I prefer to skip forward here. It's all killer, no filler, to dust off an old chestnut. From the opening track's mission statement to the sampling of Sherbet's We Ride Tonight (from their days as The Sherbs) on Contact, I can safely assert they were successful in Giving Life Back to Music. One wonders what their next album will bring...whenever that may be.
3. Push The Sky Away NICK CAVE & THE BAD SEEDS (2013)
This is a glorious album, and quite possibly, my favourite Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds record. From the opening piano of We No Who U R, this signals quite a departure from their previous work. The fifteenth studio album from the group, this is also notable for being the first record released after long time Bad Seed Mick Harvey's departure in 2009. Not only that, Bad Seed alumni Barry Adamson contributes to a couple of tracks as well, his first appearance on an album of theirs since 1986's Your Funeral...My Trial.
Recorded in France, and produced by Nick Launay (his fourth for the band), this album is wonderfully uncluttered and pure. There is very little use of overdubbing, as can be seen on 20,000 Days on Earth when the group perform the sublime Higgs Boson Blues in its entirety in the studio. It sounds very similar to the released track, so it wouldn't surprise me if the take we see on that documentary is one and the same. This scene in the film also shows how intuitive the Bad Seeds are as a band, with particular mention given to the excellent work of drummer Thomas Wydler, a Bad Seed since 1985.
Like most excellent records, there isn't a dud track here; some are just better than others. Jubilee Street has one of the best builds you could ever ask for in a song, with some of my favourite Cave lyrics to boot: "The problem was she had a little black book/And my name was written on every page". The fabulous Mermaids is beautifully exquisite, even though it is denied the wondrous guitar solo Warren Ellis gives it on Live from KRCW.
The menacing bass lines of Martyn P. Casey on We Real Cool and Water's Edge add a new dimension to the sparse soundscape created by the band and the almost whimsical Wide Lovely Eyes is given a heartbeat courtesy of Ellis' looping skills. The closing title track is another big highlight for me, which manages to run the gamut of being oppressive and somehow liberating. As the young children's voices join in on the chorus: "You've got to keep on pushing/Keep on pushing/Push the sky away", there's a kind of innocent hope permeating through.
With a tracklisting of only nine songs, the album still manages to hit the forty two minute mark. The answer to life, the universe and everything. Coincidence? Most likely, but a nice bit of trivia worth noting. This is another record that would sometimes provide the soundtrack to my drive home from Northbridge, and it has lost nothing in those repeated listens.
2. Making Mirrors GOTYE (2011)
For a long time, Gotye was just that guy who did Heart's A Mess, a song I didn't particularly like. Then his song Somebody That Used I Know blew up all over the world, becoming the first track by an Australian solo artist to top the Billboard Hot 100 in the US since Olivia Newton-John's smash hit Physical in 1981. It took a while before I even heard the thing, although I was aware of it. I reckon it was almost a year after its release that I clapped ears on it for the first time.
Kimbra's guest vocals on the aforementioned Somebody That I Used To Know are a welcome addition and give the song an added sense of turmoil, sharing the other side of the story in the crumbling relationship. Despite the track's saturation throughout the world, and the fact that the xylophone riff is basically Baa Baa Black Sheep, I still really like it. Other highlights for me include the uplifting I Feel Better, the technology celebration State of the Art and the mantra-like Save Me.
This album got an absolute hammering from me. I played it so much, that I thought it was worth revisiting Gotye's earlier work, starting with Heart's A Mess, which I had on a JJJ Hot 100 compilation. I ended up doing a complete 180 on the track and it has now become a huge favourite of mine. Once I got a copy of the album it appeared on, 2006's Like Drawing Blood, I loved it even more, as that version was at least a minute and half longer. I also really enjoyed that album, finding it a kindred spirit to Making Mirrors in the way it shifted genres. A comparison of the two albums' tracklistings reveals a similar pattern of song types.
Hopefully Gotye releases a new album in the near future. I can't believe that this is nearly a decade old. It's a fun listen, with music being created for music's sake and much enjoyment.
1. Currents TAME IMPALA (2015)
Well, since I started writing this blog, the JJJ Hottest 100 of the 2010-2019 has been and gone. I was not surprised to see Tame Impala top the list, but I wasn't expecting The Less I Know The Better to take the No.1 spot. Great song, and one of my faves, but I thought Let It Happen would be the one. But having not listened to JJJ for over a decade, I missed all the playful derision aimed at Trevor and the T-shirts and stuff.
I should a rewind a bit though. Again, I was late to the Tame Impala party. I knew who they were, I could name a coupla songs, and even sing a little bit of Elephant, but I wasn't overly familiar with their work. When Currents was released I remember liking the cover and that reviews were saying it was less of a guitar album than previous efforts. A year or two later, I believe it was a Spotify Discover Weekly playlist that introduced me to Yes I'm Changing, which I loved almost instantly. It had such a hypnotic bassline with a great mellow feel, and I was very surprised to learn it was Tame Impala. I think I found Let It Happen from another SDW playlist too, and I fell for that pretty hard. So many great hooks, and it didn't outstay its welcome despite its nearly eight minute track length. On the strength of those two songs I bought the album. I was not disappointed.
I have probably played this album more than any other album on this list, which is why it's at the top. I find the music massively appealing, comforting, engaging, you name it. I just dig it. I also learned that Tame Impala is actually Fremantle's own Kevin Parker, writing and playing all the instruments. In fact, this is the third Tame Impala album, and the first one where he played absolutely everything. No guest musicians.
As a solid work, the album gels nicely, with the handful of instrumental interludes adding to the vibe. I particularly dig The Moment, Disciples, the previously mentioned The Less I Know The Better and closing track New Person, Same Old Mistakes. The only misstep for me is the weird, slowed-down dialog on Past Life. I quite like the refrain and the way the song sounds, but those little passages don't work for me. Minor quibble though, because I love everything else.
So, there you go! Took me a while, but I got there in the end. More of a nice way to relive those albums and how I first experienced them than anything really informative. Might need to spin a few again!
