So it’s come to this. We’re about half way through the year, which gives me the excuse to do the equivalent of a clip show and roundup some of my favourites albums from the year to date. Rather than try to rank them, I’ve got some completely arbitrary categories as a way to shoehorn in all of my favourites.
Political Powerhouses
Teesider’s Benefits have delivered possibly the most powerful debut of the year with NAILS. It makes for difficult listening at times as they represent the frustrations of the British political landscape with harsh walls of sound. But there’s also a soft underbelly and some sweet melancholia, with minimalist electro counterbalancing the noise. A kick-up-the-arse of an album. Read full review
The latest album from the now veterans, Sleaford Mods, might actually be their least political album to date and, dare I say, they’re even mellowing slightly. This is all relatively speaking though, they’re still pretty angry and they’re still not shy about skewering the latest political targets. But, while the anger might not be fuelling things quite as much as it used to, they’re becoming more expansive musically; the beats are getting bigger and there’s a few straight-up bangers on what may be their best album yet. Read full review
Budding British Talent
A cheeky inclusion here for The Fall alumni, HOUSE Of ALL, who really shouldn’t be included in this section considering they’ve easily got over a century of experience between them. But they have just released their cracking debut album, which stands up alongside the work of the Manchester legends. Read full review
East Londoner, Hak Baker, paid tribute to the importance of family and friends on the genre-hopping, Worlds End FM. The album’s culmination, The End of the World, tackles mental health, suicide, and grief, while managing to turn it into an uplifting lullaby-style singalong. The kind of thing that could have been over-sentimental in the wrong hands, but Baker avoids the cheese by giving a platform to those with the lived experiences. Read full review
Another strong debut came from Sheffield’s Big Break, who ripped through 21 minutes of smash-and-grab punk rock on the charmingly titled, Angel’s Piss.
Best Rap
Admittedly, I’ve struggled a bit with rap this year. It’s probably cos I’m getting old but I increasingly find a lot of the big names to be a blur of bland, indistinguishable trap. Memphis rapper, Key Glock, bucks the trend. On Glockoma 2 his choice of beats is consistently excellent, with his raps being hook-filled and exuding effortless charisma.
On her debut album, Texan, Monaleo alternates between bad bitch bravado and smooth R&B. Highlights Beating Down Yo Block and Cosmic Love showcase those contrasting aspects of her personality and prove she’s equally adept at both styles.
Scouse Psych Stars
There always seems to be a wealth of underrated gems coming out of the North West, often from The Coral and their various offshoots and collaborators. Two of my favourite albums of the year have links into that scene, from a relative veteran to relative newcomers. Video City 2 by James Redmond offers up a semi-concept album taking in folk pop gems to Super Mario-inspired raps. It’s fun, easy, inventive, with some exceptional moments. Read full review
The Dream Machine are one of my favourite new bands of the past few years. Their debut album feels like it’s full of contrasts, one moment they’re wild-eyed psych adventurers, the next they casually slip into the role of lovelorn balladeers. Whichever mode they choose, they’re a band with bags of potential. Read full review
Most Annoyingly Catchy
I kind of want to hate everything about 100 gecs; dreadful look, whiny vocals, songs about frogs. But, once you get over the initial shock of the schizophrenic hyper-pop production style, their latest album, 10,000 gecs, is pretty undeniably wall-to-wall bangers.
Best of Wales
The bi-lingual Rogue Jones are a difficult one to pigeonhole. On Dos Bebés they take in indie-folk epics, to sparse electronica, to Kate Bash-esque art pop. But for all the experimentation and the language barrier, their music is overwhelmingly accessible. It’s at turns mystical and completely down-to-earth, like they’ve made magic out of the mundane. Read full review
The debut from Red Telephone feels like you’re transported into an 80s sci-fi dystopia. There’s a restraint throughout which seems to indicate an underlying emotional detachment playing into the sci-fi vibes. It all pays off with epic closer, Waiting For Your Good Days, which may have the best chorus of the year, yet barely even has a chorus. Read full review
And Finally Some Real Music
And I’d be remiss not to mention Billy Nomates, who came in for some online trolling from the ‘real music’ crowd following her performance at Glastonbury. On her second album, CACTI she’s built on the promise of her debut to deliver a defiant statement, that turns struggles into triumphs. You don’t need a band when you’ve got tunes as good as this. Read full review
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