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Sunday 31 December 2017

End Of The Year


Despite what I wrote a fortnight ago about this being a good year for music I'm not sure that 2017 will go down as a good year. Brexit continues to be a monumental mistake which will fuck this country over for the foreseeable future. It is divisive, regressive and blinkered, a country committing a slow suicide. My only hope is that it eventually screws the Conservative Party over completely- who created this mess and have to take the blame. In the US Trump continues to normalise views and opinions which should have been long dead and buried, not to mention deliberately provoking an unstable dictator in North Korea, in some kind of nuclear dick-measuring contest. As the year went on a succession of stories of men abusing their position and power flowed out. If 2017 has been grim, 2018 looks like being just as bad, if not worse.

Still, there's always music to cheer us up. When I wrote my list two weeks ago I missed a couple of things out which I should have included. Paresse's slow motion Scandinavian house has been a favourite of mine for a few years now and this year's Sloth Machine ep was no exception. This is the closing track.

Quiet Light

Matt Johnson and The The returned to the fray with a vinyl only Record Shop Day release, a tribute to his brother Andy who died earlier this year. We Can't Stop What's Coming is a beautiful song, moving and genuine.



It seems right to mention the response in May to the bombing at Manchester Arena. The response was solidarity and strength, standing together not apart. It was also musical- from honorary Mancunian Ariana Grande putting together a massive concert at short notice at the cricket ground (just up the road from here) to the adoption of Don't Look Back In Anger as a sung two fingers to terror.  My old school, Parrs Wood High School, provided the choir at the One Love concert and a host of pop stars sang their hearts out. We watched on TV through tears.



When the Supersonic documentary was on the other night my Twitter timeline was mainly full of people expressing the view that 'I never particularly liked Oasis but this documentary is really good'.

Lastly, in early May an event took place which confirmed my belief that people are essentially good and that bloggers are generally wonderful people. And that sometimes taking what seems like a risk is the right thing to do. A bunch of us- me, Brian (Linear Tracking Lives), Dirk (Sexy Loser), Walter (A Few Good Times) travelled from respectively Manchester, Seattle and Germany to Glasgow to meet the locals-Drew (Across the Kitchen Table), JC (The Vinyl Villain) and Stevie (Charity Chic Music), plus a few of JC's mates (Aldo, Comrade Colin, Strangeways). It was a risk- none of us knew if we'd get on or what would happen- but it paid off. We all have a new set of friends (real life friends now as well as internet friends) and I feel sure it will happen again. And everyone else is welcome too.

I was trying to think of a song that might find approval from the whole Glasgow bloggers collective, the international chancers (as Drew dubbed us), a song that we would say 'aye, that's a belter'. 80s indie looks likely. Early Primal Scream seems to fit the bill.

Velocity Girl

12 comments:

Walter said...

Wise words I can only agree Adam. This gathering showed me also that people are basically good and the hope didn't die to change some things. All the best to you and your family and a great start into 2018.

Anonymous said...

awesome post

Charity Chic said...

A brilliant post Adam.
Happy New Year to you and yours

drew said...

Very good post SA.

We will need to meet up again soon for beer and bullshit.

Health and happiness to you and yours.

Aye, that's a belter right enough.

Brian said...

Couldn’t have summed up this year any better. The blogging summit was the highlight for me. It was a pleasure meeting you and the fellas. Still holding out for a good 2018. If I can’t do it today, when can I? My best to you and your family, Adam.

Echorich said...

Happy and Healthy New Year's wishes to you and your's for 2018 SA! Here is looking toward a New Year of new music and new conversations!

C said...

A truly lovely post, SA. For all its awfulness, good things shone and continue to shine through, and I'm always heartened knowing so many of us feel the same way.
Wishing you and yours a happy New Year - all the best.

Swiss Adam said...

Thank everyone. Here's to us all and 2018.

Nathanael Holt said...

Thanks for the Paresse tip - great to start the New Year with a discovery.

Dirk said...

Well said, SA, and a fitting tune indeed, bearing in mind our unexpected meeting of Bobby Gillespie in Nice & Sleazy's, right after Brian left!

Have a good 2018, my friend!

The Swede said...

A tremendous post SA.

JC said...

I did actually read this the other day and I welled up a little bit. Didn't feel I should comment until I'd read the last few months of posts (memo to self....keep up with things in 2018).

Lots of good things mixed in with lots of bad things in 2018. Meeting you up here and again down there were highlights. Hope to catch up with you again soon,,,and dead proud to be able to call you a friend.