Unauthorised item in the bagging area

Saturday 17 December 2016

Bagging Area End Of Year Review


I saw a thing on social media recently which said 'nobody cares about your end of year review'. Possibly true. But it's a blogging tradition and so here it is.

2016 has been a wretched year in so many ways but there's been a real glut of good music from start to finish, from Bowie's astonishing and difficult to listen to Blackstar (and death) in January through to the very recent album from A Tribe Called Quest (also marked by the death of one of its makers, Phife Dawg).

Albums Of The Year

All of these have spent time on the Bagging Area turntable and/or car stereo...

David Bowie 'Blackstar'// Andrew Weatherall 'Convenanza'// Dinosaur Jr 'Give A Glimpse Of What Yer Not'// Unloved 'Guilt Of Love'//Aphex Twin 'Cheetah'// A Tribe Called Quest 'We Got It From Here...'//Beyonce 'Lemonade'//Tim Burgess and Peter Gordon 'Same Language, Different Worlds'//Toy 'Clear Shot'//Underworld 'Barbara Barbara We Face A Shining Future'//Echolocation 'Empire Blood And Bones'//Sordid Sound System 'Lux Exterior'//Cavern Of Anti- Matter 'Void Beats'// Steve Mason 'Meet The Humans'//Frank Ocean 'Blonde'// Baltic Fleet 'The Dear One'//Pete Astor 'Spilt Milk'//Cobby and Porky 'Cities Below Future Seas// and the much played round here swansong from Iggy Pop 'Post Pop Depression'

As well as all of these the three that have given me the most repeated joy are...

Woodleigh Research Facility 'The Phoenix Suburbs (And Other Stories)
Beyond the Wizards Sleeve 'The Soft Bounce'
Factory Floor '25 25'

But the most jawdropping album has been a compilation which included new recordings along with old, mixed together perfectly, making something new that was a meditation on life, love, loss and death, and that is David Holmes' Late Night Tales. So that's my album of the year.

As a sampler for those that haven't heard it it opened with Barry Woolnough's tribute to his wife who died of cancer, a 7" single on Moine Dubh...



This is Song Sung's spooked out cover of 10cc's I'm Not In Love (not a song I previously particularly liked but this is just wonderful)



And this was a one take vocal performance by BP Fallon to his friend Henry McCullough (a pair of Weatherall remixes are due next year).



E.P. Of The Year

Hardway Bros (Sean Johnston) released a four track e.p. in the early summer and I can't think of three songs that have sounded any better on one piece of vinyl than Pleasure Cry, My PNO and especially Argonaut. The sound of my summer. Still doing it in December too.





Songs Of The Year

Drew's songs of the year from last Saturday crosses over with mine in many ways- our 2016 Venn diagram has a big overlapping section. Here are 24 songs from 2016. No rankings, think of this list as a suggestion of the order in which these songs could be played...

Steve Cobby and Rich Arthurs 'Bushfarmer'
Cobby and Mallinder 'Tumblefish'
Primal Scream '100% Or Nothing Dub (Bobby Selassie And Primal Jah)
David Bowie 'I Can't Give Everything Away'
Wussy 'Ceremony'
Pete Astor 'Really Something'
Paprika Kinski 'Kids Of Your Crime'
Iggy Pop 'Gardenia'
The Hurt 'Berlin'
Unloved 'When A Woman Is Around'
The Liminanas ft Peter Hook 'Garden Of Love' (Lundi Mouille Mix)
Warpaint 'New Song'
Woodleigh Research Facility 'Taqiya'
Massive Attack 'Ritual Spirit'
Andrew Weatherall 'The Confidence Man'
The Xx 'On Hold'
Beyonce 'Hold Up'
Beyond the Wizards Sleeve 'Diagram Girl' (BTWS Re-Animation)
Craig Bratley ft Danielle Moore 'Play The Game' (Andrew Weatherall Remix)
Circle Sky 'Reveal'
Daniel Avery 'A Mechanical Sky'
Death In Vegas 'You Disco I Freak'
Andrew Weatherall 'Ghosts Again' (Scott Fraser Ghosts In The Piano Mix)
Hardway Bros 'Argonaut'


12 comments:

drew said...

Good lists SA. Most be the most we have had in common over the years. I didn't buy the Holm s late night tales as I have went right off mixed albums but I think that it will be a late edition to my Santa list now.

Swiss Adam said...

I was a bit in 2 minds at first about the Holmes album- looked at the tracklist and thought 'do I need David Crosby and Buddy Holly right now?'. But the selection and the mix is so well done.

Anonymous said...

Excellent post and review.

Jake Sniper said...

Sordid Sound System,AW Convenanza/Consolamentum Caverns Of Anti-Matter,David HolmesLNT,BTWS Soft Bounce and The Avalanches Wildflower, these have been the repeat listens of the year for me

Walter said...

Well done SA. I actually didn't got Holmes record but I am sure it will get to my collection when I am back

Brian said...

Much to digest, Adam, and I look forward to making my way through these. Like with Drew's tracks list, not much overlap with what I have had on the turntable... which makes it so much fun. Count me as one that does care about what you liked this year!

The Swede said...

A remarkable looking bunch of stuff to sift through here SA - I'm just beginning to dip my toe in as I type. The David Holmes mix album is one that I definitely need in my life for starters....

Anonymous said...

Tend not to comment but visit this blog weekly and am grateful for the music. Thanks for keeping going thru 2016!

Swiss Adam said...

Thanks for saying hello suggestedformaturereaders. Glad you enjoy it.

Swiss Adam said...

Interesting blog you got there too.

Anonymous said...

As I said over at SWC and Badger's place, I increasingly hang my head in shame when reading end of year reviews as inevitably I know next to nothing about the singers and bands who make the higher echelons of such rundowns. It’s the downside of having to spend so doing stuff for a blog which is so ridden with nostalgia for music as far back as 40 years ago that you don’t have the time or energy to listen objectively to new things.

Always appreciate what you do here. Might not always resonate with me but that's my narrow-mindedness.

Oh and should add that Steve Mason and Underworld are among my favourite records of 2016.

Swiss Adam said...

Thanks JC.